"What in Helheim is Manberg?" I shouted as Techno ran around, gathering supplies from random rooms carved into the ravine.

"It's an empire!" he shouted back.

Right. Thanks. That was so helpful.

The guy in the trench coat, Wilbur, gave me a curious look. "You really don't know?"

"Yeah."

"Well, long story short, the country used to be called L'Manberg." Wilbur's expression shifted from confusion to nostalgia to pride. "I…I founded the country with a bunch of people."

I was shocked. Wilbur looked twenty, at most. Even though I had died and become a super warrior in the service of Odin at the age of 16, I couldn't imagine founding a country from…from thin air.

"But then, there was this stupid election. I got exiled with Tommy. Techno decided to help us. We created this place." He waved a hand to indicate the ravine.

"You created a ravine?" Alex exclaimed.

Wilbur rolled his eyes. "Pogtopia."

"Okay, all set, let's go!" Techno shouted, rushing towards us at light speed. He tossed two corked bottles in my general direction; I had to dive to catch them, landing on my face.

"Oww," I said. "Holy Frigg, that hurt."

"It's regen. Drink it if needed." With that, Techno ran off again, Wilbur trailing dutifully behind him.

"Should we—"

Alex followed them at the same speed. I sighed and began rushing after the three too, Jack floating around me, singing pop songs in an increasingly high-pitched voice.

By the time we arrived at the Manberg place, I was gasping. Alex, Techno, and Wilbur were already crouched behind a bush, gesturing for me to hurry up. I staggered to the bush and allowed my knees to buckle under me.

"So, why are we here?" Alex asked after he regained his breath.

"We need to stop Tommy from doing something s*****," Wilbur said with a grimace. "Look, he's over there." He pointed to a clump of purple bubbles.

"Why did you name bubbles?" I said with a small snicker.

"He's invisible, nerd," Techno said. "Potions send out particle effects. Unless, of course, you've eaten a gapple and have the absorption effect."

I had no idea what he was talking about, but I nodded like I understood perfectly.

"Why is Schlatt standing so close to Tubbo?" Wilbur wondered out loud. I took a peek over the bush and saw two men on a makeshift stage, both in suits, standing so close to each other that their neckties practically merged into this big glop of red and green.

"Let's find out," Techno said, gesturing to the bubbles, which had moved forward by a few…blocks. I was still having trouble with that unit. "S***, I forgot my invisibility pots."

Wilbur grinned, but his face quickly fell as he absorbed the news. "Dammit! We can't go."

"Yeah…" Techno turned to us. "See, Wilbur's technically exiled, so he can't really go into Manberg. Are you two okay with staying back?"

I was about to say "yeah" and nod when Alex said, "We can come with you. I'm deathly curious."

"Fine. Follow me."

"Is he always like that?" I asked Wilbur as Alex and Techno disappeared beyond the bush.

"He's probably just worried about Tommy," Wilbur said, chuckling softly. "Quickly. You're losing them."

"I hate chasing after people," I huffed.

I caught up with the two in the bleachers under the stage. Techno had already sat down, slipping his axe—how many axes does the guy have?—onto his belt. He reminded me weirdly of my Valkyrie/Alex's sister, Samirah, though I was pretty sure he'd kill me if I mentioned that.

The two men—Schlatt and Tubbo—had moved even closer together, though Tubbo seemed not to notice it. Up close, he didn't really seem like a man—more like a teenager. I shuddered at the memory of seeing my body in a blue suit, hoping this Tubbo person wasn't going to end up like me.

"All right!" Schlatt was shouting by the time I shut my brain down. "Citizens of this great country…" his austere black eyes lingered over Alex for a few more seconds than was necessary. "I have an announcement to make."

He pulled out a wicked-looking grey sword and pointed it at Tubbo's chest. "Let the execution begin."

…

Everyone, even Alex, started to swear. I was beginning to realize that swearing was some sort of thing here. Thor, I thought, would be so at home. Me, not so much.

"Hey, you in the green sweater!" Schlatt said. "Yes, young lady with the gold wire. Come up here now."

"I'm male!" Alex said impatiently. "And no, I won't come up there. Who do you think you are, anyway? Who allowed you to point a sword at that little meinfretr?" He waved a hand to indicate Tubbo, who was clearly confused whether to be offended or not.

Techno smirked. "Bruhhhhh, that's the emperor of Manberg."

Alex stood his ground, his gaze unwavering. "I don't care."

"He is a traitor!" Schlatt declared, pointing accusingly at poor Tubbo. "He is spying for those vile Pogtopians!"

It would've been a lot more convincing if Tubbo hadn't curled into a ball.

"So? I don't care," Alex said. "I've only been in this world for five minutes. I'm not killing a person even if he might deserve it." Tubbo glanced hopefully at him, but Alex gave the "I'm not helping you out, I'm only telling him what I think" glare.

"Okay. Technoblade!"

Techno cringed.

"Technoblade, I know you're hiding in there somewhere," Schlatt said with a creepy grin. "I can see you through your invisibility potion." He gestured to the clump of bubbles—Tommy—that had moved closer to the stage. "Come out and execute this traitor. Emperor's orders."

It dawned on me that this Schlatt person, as smart as he seemed in his stupid suit and tie, had gotten the Pogtopians—I had no idea why he called them that—wrong. Tommy was now creeping slowly towards Tubbo onstage, Schlatt still focused on a spot in the crowd where even more bubbles were floating up into the pale blue sky. Someone else was there…Wilbur?

"It's better if you go," Techno said, nudging Alex. "I might do something I regret."

I was tempted to ask what he meant, but the dark look on his face and the barely controlled hunger in his eyes shut me up.

With a melodramatic sigh and a few "Thor's turd!"s, Alex walked slowly to the stage, uncurling her garrote.

"Friends of Manberg, let today mark the death of a traitor!" Schlatt announced. "I had taken him in, yet he still spies against me." He ushered Alex to stand behind Tubbo, who was starting to shiver. Alex reached down and patted his back, ignoring the murmurs swelling up from the small crowd. "Girl, kill him."

"I told you, I'm male," Alex said wearily. "Tubbo. Tubbo? Is that your name?"

"Why would you want to know?" Tubbo snapped.

"Because I don't want to call you 'boy'," Alex said with a small grin. "Tubbo, I need you to sit down and look me in the eyes."

"Too nice!" Schlatt said. "Make it quick, girl. We haven't got all day."

Alex muttered Norse curses under her breath, earning some confused glances from the audience. "Okay, okay. Tubbo…"

With a sigh, the boy sat down cross-legged, putting his hands in his lap. He glanced up helplessly. "Don't kill me."

"I…" For once, Alex seemed lost for words.

"Oh, don't worry, he'll respawn," Schlatt said, waving his hand around. I decided that I really hated the guy.

"That sounds…okay," Alex said haltingly. He straightened his garrote with slightly shaky fingers, placing it around Tubbo's neck until it almost formed a full circle. "Um…"

"Just do it," Tubbo said. "Quickly." His voice didn't have an ounce of fear, anger, resentment, guilt, or…or anything, really. It was just hollow.

Which creeped me out more than anything had this week.

Alex bit his lip and jerked his garrote to the side. I turned away, struck with memories of the time when Alex had sliced off my head. That hadn't been a particularly pleasant experience, since I was fighting a dragon and Loki, god of trickery and Alex's mom, was larking around in my head, trying to get me to combust. (Long story.)

"NO! WAIT!"

The shout came from just below the stage. A kid in a red shirt hoisted himself up, his features slightly blurred at the edges as if he had just manifested from Ginnungagap. His golden-brown curls, messy and laced with twigs, bounced around as he ran. He reminded me uncannily of me in my homeless days, except that he was holding a sword.

"Tommy!" everyone gasped. I wondered why this kid was so famous. Then I remembered that, since he had been exiled and was the co-founder of a country—of this country—he had pretty much guaranteed himself a lifetime of in-fame. (What's the noun form of infamous?)

"I thought you're exiled," Schlatt said coolly.

"Who gives a f*** about exile? You just f***ing executed my best friend!" Tommy yelled, his voice reverberating around impressively. A little too impressively.

"Yes, but he spied against us," said a guy in a blue beanie. "Sorry, Big T, but spying isn't exactly tolerated in Manberg."

"Well, idiots weren't exactly tolerated in L'Manberg, either," Tommy retorted. "And look at you all!"

"L'Manberg is gone," Schlatt said with a scowl.

Tommy seemed to be lost for a response.

"Take the party-crasher away," Schlatt ordered. "No one shall interrupt our festival."

Tommy, despite his protests, was dragged off and bound to a chair. He started swearing like crazy, and I had to cover my ears to avoid my brain exploding.

Alex was now standing awkwardly on the stage, staring at the plume of white smoke that marked the spot where Tubbo's body should have been. "Um…"

"You did well, girl," Schlatt said distractedly. "Go."

"Um, okay," Alex said, still fidgeting with his garrote. "And…I'm male."

No one paid any attention to him, so Alex slunk off the stage and sat down next to me, muttering something under his breath.

"Why isn't there a body?" I whispered to Techno.

Techno was now staring at Tommy, who was fidgeting around, trying to free his hands. "People in this place have three lives. They respawn after losing a life. He'll be fine."

The slight resentment in his voice piqued my curiosity. "Um…do you? Do you have, like, three lives?"

"No." Techno's tone started to grow increasingly bitter. "I'm not from around here, so I only have one. It circulates." He turned around suddenly. "I'm going to untie Tommy. Pretend you haven't noticed I'm gone." He uncorked a potion and started dashing towards Tommy, drinking it as he went. Within seconds, he had turned invisible.

"Nicely done, Maggie," Alex said. "You just annoyed some guy you've only met for twenty minutes."

I sighed. "I'm pretty sure it was thirty—"

"Twenty-three minutes and two seconds."

Alex and I turned around to see Techno, now visible, followed by a sulking Tommy. "Let's go. Wilbur'll be wondering what took us so long."