The Mountain Finally Blinked

Before dawn, a drill train came out of the mountain and the map gained a new line.

skhl20 and Ronicus had spent the day driving a two-track tunnel north: 1,105 blocks of gravel, mobs, inclines, temporary rail and second thoughts. They began with Ronicus saying, “lemme turn my music on for this,” which is how every respectable public-works project should commence.

The first pass bored through the mountain while Ronicus cleared and laid track ahead. Then the temporary line above had to come back out. skhl20 reported that the trip was long enough to 3D-print something to hold down the W key; Ronicus, somewhere between the gravel and the far wall, declared himself “john john henry.” Boofreon arrived to help and was promptly run over by the unnamed train. The railway had opened before the safety office.

When rails and stone ran thin, shaxter_323 stocked the trainyard with track, tuff and andesite. Boofreon brought dirt. Ronicus kept clearing, lighting and guarding while skhl20 wrestled the curves into place.

One turn looked wrong. Then another. “something about life skhl some turns are just gonna look bad,” Ronicus offered. They rebuilt it anyway. By the time phase one connected, the bad turn had become “perfect,” the tunnel looked right on the map, and skhl20 was simply happy. He thanked Ronicus for staying. “ofc!” came the answer. “its fun.”

Elsewhere, Bosco207 took a first tour, called the map “amazing tryly,” rode in Ronicus’s Fantasticar, accepted diamond armor from Wolfprism, and—after several practical lessons from local monsters—joined Boofreon in terraforming an island. That is a first day with dirt under its nails.