Chapter 9: Questionable Camaraderie

Blake brought up the rear as he and his allies wandered through the village. It was well past sunset, but the area appeared well-lit enough to discourage any mobs from approaching. In fact, the town was so at ease that several villagers remained outside in the dark, leisurely chatting with one another or strolling in the gentle moonlight.

For a moment, his gut clenched. The last time he'd seen anything like this was over a year ago, and the reminder of just how lonely he'd been weighed on him.

"I remember when the last of the villagers were moving out. They looked at me like I was crazy for wanting to stay behind; humans are supposed to be the adventurous, boundary-pushing ones. I guess I WAS crazy- or just desperate to avoid change, really."

His heart sank. Those first few days as the last person in town were awful to reflect on, but Blake wouldn't ever forget how forcedly motivated he'd acted. He had bustled around in a fervor and performed repairs on the steadily dilapidating buildings. At the time he told himself it was for the sake of making them presentable for whenever his friends would come back to visit. Now, he realized it had just been to keep himself busy- had Blake not done so, he might have lost his mind.

They'd reached the middle of town, where even more residents had gathered around the well to talk. He overheard some of the topics: renovations to be done, crops to be planted, idle chatter about how their relatives were doing, and the like. The conversations were simple, but such small, personal matters were endearing to Blake after such a long time alone.

"Look at me, getting all mushy over just watching some people chat. I might've lost my mind ANYWAY if I hadn't found Alice's letter."

Where was she? Where were any of his old friends, or the villagers they'd lived with? Those two questions had never left his head, not even when he'd been investigating the giant tree or encountering the Usurpation for the first time. Thinking of them again brought another thing to mind: he had set out on his journey to find a place in the world for himself, but how would he know when he found it?

"I'm not out here to look for them, right? That'd go against the point of it all…"

Still. He didn't know if he liked the sound of sticking with a stubborn princess for longer than he had to.

"Oh! Excuse me."

Speaking of Celia, she'd stopped short ahead of him and Felix as an enormous metal figure lumbered past. The iron golem caused a light tremor in the ground with each footstep. Although it didn't stop them, the titan did look briefly at each member of the group before continuing its patrol. Its bulky arms had noticeable stains from zombie blood; clearly it had already seen some action on the town's border that night.

Blake was glad once it looked away. Iron golems were excellent defenders against mobs, but their hulking physique and constant supervision were intimidating. Not to mention, he'd always found their blank, mechanical eyes a little creepy.

"I don't care how well they get along with villagers, those things weird me out."

"Isn't this place nice?" Celia asked, smiling after the golem. "It's very relaxed here."

"It does have a very different atmosphere than back home. There are no guards other than the golem, or any walls around the perimeter. Even the outer districts of Luxmouth have the local militia, but here there's barely any defense." Felix replied.

Blake raised a brow. "Have you guys ever been in a normal village?"

Celia turned to him to reply, but hesitated. "Ah… n-no, not exactly. Our city is much larger; its population is nearly 1500. As such, the layout and infrastructure are more complicated by necessity." They kept walking, but a moment later she spoke again. "That's right, didn't you mention you lived in a village? Was it similar to this place?"

Blake cast his gaze around again, taking in the simple wood and cobblestone houses. He saw a farm next to one, its hoed soil full of wheat and carrots ready to be harvested come the next morning. Memories of setting up his own farm with his friends, and the excitement of baking their first cake with the wheat they'd grown, came to mind.

"For the most part, yeah. I lived with four other humans, and everyone else in town was a villager. There wasn't exactly an authority figure, we all just helped each other out. Things weren't always easy, but the village always came together when it mattered."

"A smaller population would lead to closer bonds between one another," Celia remarked. "It sounds- oh, we're here."

The church was certainly a cobblestone building, but Blake wasn't sure if he'd call it "big" like the farmer had. Only standing a bit taller than the houses, and rather out of the way on the village outskirts, the structure could have easily been overlooked by passersby. Moss crept up the sides of the building, and some stone blocks sported notable chips and cracks.

"They haven't put much effort into keeping this thing standing," he observed. "It's no wonder the visitor was allowed to stay here; nobody uses the place."

Blake wondered if there were any spare beds. Put simply, he was beat from the day's harrowing encounter. Celia approached and rapped her knuckle against the door, then stood back. Her knock was answered by a boy slightly older than Blake with skin darker than Felix's, but not nearly as dark as his own. Despite the poor visibility, his wide brown eyes stood out as he peered at them from behind the door. Three drenched teenagers were evidently not what he'd anticipated.

"Uh, hi," he said. "Can I help you?"

"The locals say you're talking about gray people," Blake replied, "and we don't think you mean Illagers."

To his surprise, the boy tensed up. Celia spoke almost immediately after him. "We don't mean to startle you. If it's the Usurpation you speak of, we're no friends of theirs. Quite the opposite; we hope to resist their advance however we can."

She seemed to put him more at ease, and he opened the door a bit further.

"Maybe I said that the wrong way…? Damn. Talking to people again is hard."

"You guys know about them, too?" he asked.

Celia nodded, gesturing to Blake. "We've been avoiding them for two days now. My companion here has something they are looking for, and if you are also concerned about the invasion then perhaps we could cooperate in keeping it out of their hands?"

The boy's eyes widened even further. "You don't mean you have a-"

His gaze darted around behind them, and he opened the door fully to reveal he was wearing nearly a full set of iron armor. In his hand, he lightly grasped a sword with a gleaming blue blade.

"Diamond? This guy must mean business," Blake thought.

"Come inside, quickly. We've got a lot to talk about."

The moon had just begun to rise when Tara noticed the blue sigil on her black book's cover was steadily pulsing. She raised a brow; the specific pattern suggested the message was from another Knight's book.

"Stop," she said aloud. Clearing the ice ahead of them required too much focus to risk doing it while reading, and- though she would never let anyone know it- the sudden alert had elicited some curiosity.

A moment later, the carrier slowed to a crawl. Tara flipped the book to a page mostly empty, save for one line in familiar handwriting. The sender was identified as "Industrial Division, Lime Squad Leader."

[Tara. This is Ray. Respond fast; important info.]

She narrowed her eyes as she wrote her reply. [That is not proper protocol, Sir Ray.]

[Tired. Hungry. Thirsty. Had to row a boat back to our outpost for two days.]

Tara blinked. Upon closer inspection, his writing seemed shaky as it appeared on the page under her message.

[What happened? A group of Inlanders was seen in Lime Squad's carrier.]

[Squad all dead. Killed by zombies.]

She resisted the urge to scowl. Were there any limits to his incompetence?

[An Inlander found the dark Bonemeal Core before I could retrieve it. Two others assisted him. Zombies attacked, Inlanders escaped in confusion.]

Her grip on the quill tightened, before she forced herself to settle down. This was not going to elicit a reaction from her, no matter how exasperating Ray's failure was. [It would seem they stole your carrier in their flight, but they abandoned it before long. We are searching for them in the vessel now. Which of them has the Genesis Core?]

[Dark brown skin. Dark brown hair. Red-violet jacket. Dark Bonemeal Core is bound to him already.]

So she would have to kill a human Inlander. This was a first. Even so, it would be a trivial matter to Tara. They would all have to fall in line or die, sooner or later…

[What of the others?]

[One male. Teenage, brown leather chestplate and helmet, yellow hair. One female, teenage/adult, white clothes, red hair. The girl calls herself daughter of the Duke of Luxmouth.]

That changed the situation. She didn't know much about the Ever-Glowing City, but she knew of the light Bonemeal Core supposedly housed within. The outer territories the Expansion Division had overtaken spoke highly of the city itself, and not without cause- Luxmouth was too well-defended for even the Usurpation to risk a full assault against.

"For now…"

[Duly noted. She will make for a most lucrative hostage. Where are you?]

[With the rest of Crimson Squad. Repairs on your carrier are complete and we will leave to join you shortly. There's nothing left for us here now that the Genesis Core is gone.]

[We are altering our course. Our destination is the island village we passed on our way here. I believe that is the only place the Inlanders could have fled to. Recover your strength before you arrive- I will not accept failure due to your pitiful state.]

[I was planning to. Sir Ray out.]

Tara snapped the book shut and stored it in her inventory. "There has been a change of plans. We are to kill the dark-skinned Inlander and take the red-haired one as a hostage."

"What's their significance, Lady Tara?" Crimson-14 asked.

She began to clear the ice again as the carrier started moving. "The latter is our key to eliciting a surrender from Luxmouth. The former has the dark Bonemeal Core."

Now was her time to shine.

Celia entered first after the man, taking in as much of her surroundings with a single glance as she could. This was the first time she'd ever been in a church this small, after all. It, like the rest of the town, struck her as very serene and homely. Though the structure was just cobblestone with minimal furnishings, she quite liked the simplicity.

"I thought the closest I'd ever get to a Genesis Core would be when some Usurpation boss did me in," the group's host said. "But you say you've got one?"

"I do," answered Blake, entering last. "It's bound to me, and it lets me grow things."

"A Bonemeal Core, then."

Celia took a seat at a small oak desk at the man's offer. Felix stood behind her, and they watched as he set a dirt block on the floor. "Mind if you show me how it works?"

Blake, though seeming a bit alarmed to be put on the spot, stared at the block and held a hand toward it. Celia felt her pulse quicken as his outstretched palm twitched, after which the dirt block spontaneously developed a layer of grass on the surface. Another twitch, and tall blades sprouted two blocks high.

The man whistled. "I guess it's the real deal. I won't lie, I'm all sorts of amazed right now. Think of the possibilities! With that kind of power, food shortages could be a thing of the past!"

Celia grinned. It was for that very reason Luxmouth had so carefully protected the other Bonemeal Core ever since its discovery. Then again, as Blake had demonstrated two days prior, its uses also extended to combat in certain capacities.

"Yet we still know little about them. Where did they come from, and what other secrets do they hide?"

"Whoops, I guess I was so excited my manners escaped me," the man chuckled, running a hand through his shoulder-length, dark brown hair. "Everyone calls me Ember, who are you guys?"

"I am Celia of House Lumis. My companions are Felix, an old friend, and Blake, who is accompanying us back to the city of Luxmouth," she said, gesturing to them in turn.

Ember stared at her, his brow furrowed. "House Lumis…? Wait, are you the missing Countess?"

She winced. "Er… is that what I'm known as?"

"I hear the whole city's on edge. Someone as important as you just vanishing, and only leaving a note behind… well, that obviously wouldn't sit well with a lot of people."

Celia thought she saw Felix pinch the bridge of his nose.

"For what it's worth," Ember continued, "you must have a pretty strong spirit and sense of adventure. You'd fit in well with my crew. But you've got your own responsibilities, and all that."

"Your 'crew?'" Blake asked.

Ember flashed him a grin. "Yeah. A bunch more of us humans have banded together, resisting the Usurpation wherever we can from the shadows." He chuckled, scratching his head. "Well, we're still a pretty small group. I'm here because our scouts spotted them heading in this direction, and someone had to investigate. I guess you three have confirmed what they were interested in for us, so... thanks for that."

As many questions as Celia had about this so-called crew, of which she'd never heard, she knew there were more pressing matters to discuss first. "If my absence has truly caused such unrest, it's all the more important for me to make it home soon," she said. "However, we find ourselves in a bit of a predicament. We have no transportation, and our food has run out."

Celia gestured to herself, Blake, and Felix again. Their clothing had only just begun to dry.

"As you can see, we are also exhausted and drenched from evading the Usurpation today. Would you be willing to let us stay the night, and continue our journey come sunrise? We're in no shape to travel on foot."

Ember's smile brightened. "I can do you one better. I'll contact my buddies and see if they can help us get through the Nether; it'd be way faster than walking."

"You operate out of there?" asked Felix, his mouth agape.

"Sure do. It's a rough job, but it keeps us under the Usurpation's radar." Ember sheathed his diamond blade and pointed to a chest and a crafting table in the corner of the room. "There should be some spare wool in there. Feel free to craft a few beds and get some rest. Blake, I've also got wheat seeds and carrots. That ought to take care of your food problem, if you get my meaning."

Celia stood and curtseyed to him. "I can't thank you enough. I promise, Luxmouth will repay you for your help."

"Don't get hasty," Ember warned, "we aren't in the clear yet. Get some sleep and stock up on food; I'll be downstairs if anyone needs me."

Drawing a pickaxe from his inventory, he broke apart an inconspicuous cobblestone block to reveal a hidden ladder leading under the floor. Ember offered one last wave before descending.

"This is fantastic!" Celia chirped, looking to Felix.

"I'll admit, I can't believe how quickly our luck turned around," he replied.

Blake had his arms folded. When he spoke, he was as quiet as he seemed capable of being. "I don't know… what if he's with the Usurpation and is passing on info to them somehow? You could've just led even more of 'em right to us by saying who you are."

Celia rounded on him. She was much too tired to hear any of his second-guessing. "How do you expect us to get anywhere if you insist on doubting every decision we make?"

Though Blake had bags under his pale brown eyes, his expression was firm as he glared at her. "It wouldn't be the first time one of your snap decisions got us in trouble. You're just gonna trust some guy who happens to be in the area while we're running from the Usurpation, and who wants us to just settle in as he calls his 'crew' from the Nether for backup?"

"Don't be absurd!" she hissed. "Do you plan to suspect everyone we meet? Might any of them also be Usurpation agents in disguise?"

Blake's fists were clenched. "If you wouldn't blab about what a big shot you are to everybody, I wouldn't HAVE to worry that much. You even told Ray how important you are! Did you never once think that might've been a stupid idea?"

Celia paused. She hated to admit it, but he had a point there. Regardless, why couldn't he see her side? "A… a mistake on my part, yes. Even so, our odds of making it to Luxmouth with just the three of us are slim. We have to find allies wherever we can, don't you understand that? Ember is willing to help us, and has shown no signs of being affiliated with the Usurpation. What more will it take to convince you?!"

Neither of them spoke again, as if silently daring the other to continue.

"Speaking of help, I've got the beds ready." Felix said softly. He was at the crafting table, facing away from them with a hunched, tense posture. "Blake, here are the seeds and carrots. Can you do your thing to make some food?"

Celia didn't say a word as Blake stepped past to take the items from Felix. He barely acknowledged her on his way out of the church. It was only after the door shut behind him that she realized her heart was pounding. "I… I'm sorry, Felix," she said. "I didn't mean to lose my temper."

He set the beds on the floor around the crafting table. There was barely enough space to fit all three of them. "Don't worry about me," he replied, in a tone so flat as to be unnerving.

Celia didn't feel any better. Despite his reassurance, there was an uncomfortable pit in her stomach. Was it because of how emotionless he sounded? Had she startled him? Or…

"Felix, please be honest with me. Have… have I been as impulsive as Blake accused? If I've caused us trouble, I want to rectify it."

Although she couldn't quite identify his expression when he turned to her, it was clear he was stewing over something in his head.

"Please," she repeated. "Tell the truth. Nothing you say will offend me, I promise."

"I think…" Felix hesitantly began, "it'd be better if you could compromise more with each other."

Celia bit her tongue, fighting the impulse to reply in her defense. Now was the time to listen, she told herself.

"You're right, we do need help escaping the Usurpation," he continued. "And Ember hasn't shown any signs that he's with them, either. But… as long as we're out in the open without much backup, it might not be the best idea to tell everyone who we are. It's for your own safety, Lady Celia."

He headed toward the door, only stopping for a moment to say one last thing. "I'll go see if he could use a hand. Please try to get some rest." Then he was gone, leaving her with a hundred conflicting thoughts.

Blake shut the door behind him, taking a deep breath of the nighttime air. Celia was probably complaining about his "attitude" to Felix at that very moment, but he didn't care. Right then, all he wanted to focus on was replenishing their food and forgetting about the argument.

He looked at the seeds and the bundle of carrots Ember had provided, after which a problem occurred to him.

"I don't have a hoe to till the soil for these. Maybe…"

Trying not to look conspicuous, Blake made his way back to the farm. There were no lights from the neighboring house's windows, and nobody was outside keeping watch on the property. It seemed even the villagers who had stayed up past dark were finally turning in for the night, leaving him alone apart from the patrolling iron golem.

He noticed a chest beside the farm. A cursory glance within revealed it to be empty sans a few wheat bundles and a single beetroot. He was no expert in growing crops, but even he could tell the harvest wouldn't be ready for a while.

"Hm…"

Blake concentrated on the nearest plant, a cluster of seeds which had barely begun to sprout. A second later, they had changed into a tall bunch of thin, golden stalks. Smiling, he repeated the process until the whole farm was fully grown. He worked quickly to collect and replant the crops, storing his harvest in the chest. Using the Bonemeal Core's power, he repeated the process thrice. By the end, the chest was almost half full and the farm was ready for yet another harvest come the morning.

"What're you doing?"

The voice made him jolt and turn around so fast he nearly lost his balance. "Sorry, I just wanted to help-"

He composed himself a little when he realized the speaker was Felix, who gave him an odd look. "Are you okay?"

"Uh… yeah, I'm fine," Blake said, exhaling the breath he'd sucked in. "I came out here to plant the stuff Ember gave us, since we don't have a hoe. When I saw how empty the farm was, I…"

He shrugged. "I just wanted to do something for them."

Felix nodded, inspecting his handiwork. "Very thoughtful of you."

"Hey, it's not like it was some huge inconvenience. It'd just be rude of me not to help their farm along a little when I have the power to do it."

Blake harvested, replanted, and grew the crops one last time. He now had a good selection of wheat, carrots, beetroots, and even sugarcane to work with. "That should keep us going for a while. I'm all set here."

He turned to head back to the church, but something stopped him. An uncomfortable feeling twisted around in his gut at the thought of having to see Celia again.

"Is it just because I'm mad at her, or…?"

"Felix. Uh… how do I put this? I'm sorry you had to hear all that before."

His companion raised a brow. "You say that as if I had to listen to my parents arguing. You and Lady Celia aren't that much older than me."

Blake chuckled. "I get that. It's just… you've known each other a lot longer than you've known me. And I understand I'm out of my element with all this nobility stuff."

He paused. Now he was beginning to grasp why he was feeling so conflicted. "Not to mention it's been a while since I really… talked to anyone. I-"

"Hold on," Felix cut in. "I think, whatever you're about to say, it might be best if you hold off for now, and say it to Lady Celia tomorrow. It could help you two understand each other a little better."

An awkward silence fell between them. After a few seconds, Blake cleared his throat. "You… really think so?"

Felix nodded, beckoning for Blake to follow him back to the church. "I do. I won't lie, it's a little exasperating listening to you two argue without actually being productive. I think, if you would just be more patient with each other, it would benefit us in the long run."

"You're a smart guy," he replied, "and you've usually been the one to solve whatever problem we're in."

For a second, he worried he might have come across as sarcastic. Felix, however, didn't appear offended. On the contrary, he grinned.

"The only plans that were 'mine' were the ones involving crafting knowledge, like that trick with the doors underwater. You and Lady Celia both had your own ideas of how to keep going after we found out the boat was gone; I just found the compromise between them. I think you two can do the same thing."

He mulled it over. Was that what had happened? It seemed for all the world like Felix had just stepped in with a solution where he and Celia were too busy butting heads.

"That wasn't all I was gonna say, though," Blake continued. "Why do you never speak up for yourself? It's always for her sake. Even when you clearly have something in mind, you don't say anything against her."

The pair had reached the church again by that point. Felix put a hand on the door, only saying two words with a sigh before pushing it open: "Nobility stuff."

Celia was already in a bed, facing the wall. Blake heard the faint sounds of Ember tinkering below them, and as curious as he might have been what his host was doing, his exhaustion was winning out. While Felix carefully took off his armor pieces and sorted through his inventory, Blake flopped onto another bed and let sleep claim him.

"Get up! Get UP!"

The violent shake against Blake's shoulder jolted him awake like lightning had struck at his feet. He scrambled to draw his stone sword, jumping out of bed. "What's going on?!"

Ember was rushing to awaken Celia as well. Felix, already up, was hurriedly donning his leather chestplate.

"There's a big problem outside," Ember said.

Blake, already fearing the worst, glanced out a window beside the door. What he saw in the early morning light was the villagers being steadily rounded up near the center of town, herded by a group of people in tattered black cloaks, with matching bandanas over their mouths. They were all wearing gloves save for one, above whose gray-skinned hand a small block of ice twirled effortlessly in midair.

The Usurpation had caught up to them.