THE OVERWORLD is no longer safe. Following the vicious golem attack and the bizarre disappearance of MobCo's CEO, a new wave of violence has swept through our world. Whispers of a beacon bombing at the newly-formed Crimson Temple and the theft of precious zombie flesh reserves have put everyone on edge. The public is terrified, and the so-called 'Resistance' is taking all the blame.
PHOTO: The aftermath of the vicious beacon bombing at the Crimson Temple.
But amidst the chaos, a new voice has risen, one that promises order and protection: PapaSarkis, who has unilaterally declared himself mayor. In a move that's been both praised and feared, he has commissioned the construction of a new Courthouse and, more alarmingly, organized a 'brute squad' to enforce his laws and levy a new tax on all shopping district transactions. The tax, he says, is for our own safety. But at what cost?
PHOTOS: Our cameras capture PapaSarkis' new brute squad in action, ensuring "compliance" from local shoppers.
I sat down with the self-appointed Mayor for a surprisingly candid conversation. He was charming and disarming, a real smooth operator. He said the price of protection is "a trifle of bells," and that he's here to "enforce happiness." The interview was full of these cute catchphrases. At one point, he declared, "The Law is simple: we must protect the future." Then, pointing to his newly built Courthouse, he said, "It's bigger on the inside!" Later, he quipped, "My brute squad is not as scary as a Dalek, but they're just as effective." When speaking of the fear caused by the resistance, he said the best way to deal with it is to "delete their emotions, leaving only compliance." He chuckled when noting that without his new policies, the shopping district would be nothing but "wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff."
But the most shocking moment came when he unmasked the Resistance leader, the shadowy "A. MineCrafter." My heart sank as he revealed the identity of the person we all know as the sweet and innocent AbigailMC. In a fiery press conference, Papa accused her of a clandestine relationship with fellow player Danimal, alleging that she manipulated him into becoming a pawn for the Resistance's violent agenda. He put the pair on trial in his new Courthouse, with his hand-picked judge, ExplosiveReid, overseeing the case. As his name implies, the judge’s courtroom style was fiery and dynamic, and the trial was quickly over. Abigail and Danimal were convicted of theft, mischief, and conspiracy to murder Ron. Their punishment: to be put in the stocks and have their possessions confiscated until they foreswore their Resistance ways and became compliant, obedient, and subservient players.
PHOTO: Abigail and Danimal are placed in the stocks after their conviction.
Busyimp, a mild-mannered vault operator, spoke about the injustice of the new taxes. "It's unequal," he said, "If you buy from Papa's own Moss Icely, there's no tax. But if you're a small business like mine, you get squeezed." His story was not unique. The_mini_fluff told me her business had to shut down entirely because the new tax burden made it impossible to import her custom foreign woods. 
Sonofweasel, the Dark Lord magistrate of the Necropolis, said he's following the lead of the Crimson Temple and filing paperwork to have his order recognized as a religion, hoping to gain tax-exempt status. OhGreatDM of the Crimson Temple was not available for comment.
