Chapter 11: A Bad Omen

Blake dug out the dirt above them, poking up his head to look for immediate dangers. None were visible, so he climbed out of the hole with Celia right behind him. Somewhere nearby, footsteps could be heard in the undergrowth.

"Okay, go do your thing," he whispered.

"You're clear on the plan?"

"Yeah. I can handle these guys, now get going."

Celia nodded and started off deeper into the woods. Blake drew his stone blade, trying not to think about the chips in its edge.

He peered from behind the tree they'd hidden beneath and spotted a Usurper with his back to Blake, beside a birch tree about two chunks away. Gripping his weapon, he started toward the enemy, careful not to make a sound.

"I have to keep them busy until Celia gets back. But if they all jump me at once, will I even be able to hold my own? I only fought off Ray's goons with her and Felix's help, and it was way too close for comfort. What if-"

Blake paused in his step, one foot an inch off the ground. His inner monologue had nearly caused him to distractedly trod on a fallen twig mere blocks from the target. The Usurper wasn't paying much attention to his surroundings, keeping his head bowed and focusing on something in his hands. He was open for an attack, but as Blake raised his sword he hesitated.

"…"

Could he really do it? Could Blake kill another person, even if he was an enemy likely out to kill him? He'd taken down the likes of zombies countless times, not to mention an Illager patrol which had once ventured too close to his home. As the sole resident at the time, the tracking spell known to be placed on those who killed Illager captains had no effect- the decrepit town could hardly still be called a village. Blake recalled not feeling much about their deaths in the moment. After all, they were evil, feared and loathed by humans and villagers alike. It was either them or him.

But this case, similar as he tried to convince himself it was, wasn't the same. This was another person, one whose story he didn't know. He didn't trust the Usurpation, of course, but something about being in a position to kill someone directly was more than he could bear.

"…but if I don't deal with him, he'll be more trouble later…"

His eyes shifted back to the twig. He steeled himself and brought his foot down with a loud crunch.

"What the-"

The Usurper turned on the spot, and was promptly struck in the head by the flat edge of Blake's sword. He stumbled to the side and collapsed, face down in the grass. A black-covered book and quill fell from his hands.

"That… could've killed him, too…"

Blake let out the breath he'd unknowingly sucked in and loosened his trembling grip on the blade. Whatever the state of his fallen enemy, he couldn't dawdle. There would be time to contemplate later.

He did, however, stoop to pick up the book. Glancing at the page the Usurper had been writing in, he was greeted by an indecipherable mess of scrawled symbols. Every few seconds, another line of them would appear beneath the last. Blake inspected the handwriting and found he could identify four different styles.

"Never heard of a self-writing book before. Unless… is this how they're communicating with each other?"

He stowed it in his inventory. The writings were gibberish to him, but he got the sense Felix would love to take a look at it later.

"Okay, who's next?"

"Did you hear something?"

"Twenty! Where are you?"

Right on cue, two more voices came from nearby. Footsteps approached, crunching through grass and more twigs. Blake looked at the birch tree's leaf blocks, the lowest of which were within reach.

"Time for a little test."

He punched out a few leaves until a sapling dropped into his hand. As the Usurpers came into view, drawing their swords, he held it tight while he kept his own weapon in a defensive stance.

"Twenty! You wretched Inlander!" one shouted upon seeing his downed cohort.

"Do you guys not have names?" he asked.

"Shut up! You're going to pay for this!"

The pair's eyes burned with hatred. Blake took a step back, trying to find better footing as they split up to circle around him. With a damaged stone blade in one hand and a sapling in the other, his odds didn't look good. There was no time to figure out a plan beyond the half-baked idea stewing in his head.

"Please don't let this be like the forest back home…"

First to approach was the grunt on his left. He turned to face the attacker, knowing his back was now mostly to the other one and grimacing at the thought. Their swords collided hard, causing Blake's arm to tremble- he was only using one hand to block, something the Usurper seemed keen on exploiting. Growling behind her bandana, she shoved him back with a hard push against his sword. He stumbled away, nearly falling over. Her ally's footsteps crept ever closer behind him, coming within a few blocks' reach just as Blake regained his footing. A sudden crunch in the grass suggested the rear enemy was going in for a strike.

"Here goes!"

He parried another attack from the front Usurper with his sword. With his other hand, Blake pointed the birch sapling straight behind him. Praying he wasn't about to get himself killed, he concentrated the Bonemeal Core's energy into the plant.

A second later, Blake hit the ground in a clumsy roll. His hip ached from the landing, and his back felt like something had pummeled him. It wasn't until he sat upright that he realized what exactly had happened.

The sapling was now a fully-grown birch tree, albeit laying on its side where he'd been standing. A good distance away, the rear Usurper was slumped against another tree, unmoving after having been blown back when it grew point-blank into him. The force had thrown Blake forward too, and he'd collided with the astonished enemy in front before tumbling to the ground.

"Like what I did to the spider back at the tree, but… WAY more powerful. Ow…"

The Usurper he'd been facing off with wasn't down for the count, however. She got up with a wince and brandished her sword, starting toward him. It was at that moment he realized his own weapon was nowhere to be seen after the impact.

"That's… ENOUGH…"

With an enraged cry and a raised blade, she ran at Blake before he could stumble to his feet. Unarmed and with no plant matter in reach to effectively defend himself, he scrambled back.

"No!"

There was a red and brown blur in front of him. The sound of clashing metal rang out, followed by a grisly slice. A moment later, the Usurper hit the ground.

"Too close… are you hurt?"

Celia turned to face him, white as a ghost and breathing hard. Her grip on her sword shook, but her expression was kept forcefully neutral.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay…"

Blake got to his feet, rubbing the ache in his side. His eyes trailed to the fallen enemy and he felt his stomach clench. She didn't even twitch- Celia had finished her off with a single, clean strike to the head.

"I gathered saplings," she said, showing him a fistful of assorted types. "Another Usurper followed me, but…"

The chestplate Felix had given her sported a large gash on the front, under which an open wound was visible. Celia put a hand over it when Blake took the saplings, wincing. "It's not as bad as it looks. And I… dealt with him, too."

Mortified as she looked, Blake reminded himself it wasn't the time to dwell on that. He offered her some of the carrots he'd grown, trying not to stare at her injury.

"That's everyone who followed us, I think," he said. "Phase One was a success."

As Celia ate, she lost her pained cringe and the wound closed up, leaving only a small spot of bare skin visible beneath the chestplate. "With the saplings gathered, we can put their leader in your territory," she replied. "Time for Phase Two. We need to get across their territory."

They made their way to the forest's edge, looking out from where they hid at the beach and the shallows. Across the water, a few more Usurpers were patrolling the village's outskirts.

"How do we go about this?" Blake asked.

"We cannot risk going into the water," Celia said. "We could collect logs to make wooden planks and build a bridge across."

He considered it, then shook his head. "We don't know if the leader can only control ice, or ice and water. And even if it's not both, we'd lose the element of surprise going over the sea."

"You're right… what if we were to dig beneath the village?"

Blake paused. "Not a bad idea. And these guys don't even have a radar." His eyes widened, and he pointed at her chestplate. "Hold on, we've got a radar! Can we tell where the leader is?"

Celia reached into the hidden fold and withdrew the stolen Usurpation map. Sure enough, two Genesis Cores were visible: the purple Bonemeal Core at Blake's position, and a yellow one which was being tracked in the direction of the village.

"We can avoid her easily! Or, better yet…"

Blake grinned. "Have another idea in mind? You can tell me on the way there. I hope you're not too tired for some more digging."

"Not at all. Let's get to work."

Felix sat against the village's well, right in the middle of the town. The Usurpers hadn't confiscated any of his items, but the pair of troopers standing guard over him with weapons drawn discouraged any attempts to escape. He knew he wasn't strong enough to fight them off.

"What do I have available? A stone axe, an iron pick, a dispenser that doesn't even have any arrows left, a torch, a button, a crafting table, and a door… I'm sure I could do SOMETHING with this stuff, but they'll notice it too quickly if I try to pull any items from my inventory."

If there was any silver lining, it was the villagers had apparently been left to their own devices after his capture. The Usurpation team ignored them, aside from the patrolling grunts glaring threateningly at anyone who ventured too close to the edge of town. However, Felix's heart sank at the miserable sight of the iron golem's remains being salvaged by another pair of Usurpers.

"These brutes…"

Tara was nearby, arms folded and motionless. She faced away from him, in the direction his companions had escaped.

"Please, Lady Celia, don't come back just for me. Get out of here with Blake, and get back to Luxmouth. Please…"

But Felix knew her better than that. He knew she was hardheadedly determined enough to want to rescue him, and impulsive enough to rush back over the water to that end. Though she didn't seem to be coming yet, he suspected it was only a matter of time before she tried it and got captured.

"If they hadn't started arguing, this wouldn't have happened. And to think they were finally cooperating, too."

"Hey! What is it you want with Luxmouth, anyway?" he called to Tara. Surely he could at least get some information out of her, on the off chance he escaped.

She shot him a blank stare. "The Usurpation requires sustenance," she said, "like anyone else. The light Bonemeal Core housed within that city would make crop production trivial- and when we have it and its dark twin, we need never again concern ourselves over food shortages."

Felix blinked. "You want to invade a city just for that?"

"Hardly. Large settlements such as Luxmouth have impeded the Expansion Division most ever since we've entered the Inlands. As they fall, we progress. It is a simple matter."

He quieted down; the tone of her voice didn't suggest probing for further answers was a good idea. However, Felix stewed over what she'd said- limited as it was.

"Large settlements… the neighboring cities? We haven't heard much from them in a while, not since the invasion began. Could they still be giving the Usurpation trouble?"

Felix hadn't been to any of Luxmouth's allied states since his crafting education began years earlier, but the gloomy mining caverns of Tenebyss and the treetop Spruce Roost villages were unforgettable. He'd always wanted to visit again, and he hoped they hadn't succumbed to the invasion.

Tara had also gone quiet, and the silence was pronounced enough for Felix to hear a soft crunching noise nearby. His eyes traced across the ground to a point not far behind her, where a grass block was cracking and crumbling until it broke apart altogether. This time, the sound caught more attention than just his.

"Hm?"

Reaching for her sword, Tara approached the hole in the ground. She peered into it with a furrowed brow, while the two troopers near him looked on in similar confusion. Felix saw her eyes widen a fraction of a second before she leaped back from the hole. A large mass of leaf blocks burst from it, completely enveloping the spot Tara had stood at moments earlier.

"What?" she hissed. Though she did her best to compose herself, Felix had heard the split-second alarm in her voice.

More dirt blocks began to break apart under her feet, followed by the abrupt growth of a tree planted somewhere underground. They seemed to be following Tara, hounding her relentlessly until much of the village square was covered in round clumps of log and leaf blocks.

Finally, out of one hole in the ground clambered Celia, still wearing the leather armor and golden boots, holding her sword firm. Blake followed, a familiar looking map in one hand and an oak sapling in the other.

"Are you okay?" Celia shouted to him, finding a defensive stance as the two Usurpers drew their swords. Tara advanced from behind, but Blake stood back-to-back with Celia and warningly pointed the sapling at her.

"I-I'm fine," he said. Felix couldn't believe what he was seeing on multiple levels. With the two guarding him distracted, he jumped to his feet and circled around until he stood with his allies, drawing his axe. "What are you doing here?"

"It was our fault you got caught," Blake replied. "We had to do something."

Tara and her two cohorts were forming a triangle around them. More of the Usurpers gathered at the town square's edge.

"You've just put yourselves in more danger by coming back for me," Felix said.

"Nobody is being left behind," Celia replied. "We can get through this together."

They were now surrounded by nine enemies. Two charged from the right, swords high. Felix readied his axe to block, but Blake stepped in front of him and tossed the sapling. There was a loud crunch as another fully-grown oak tree sprouted horizontally, launching the pair back.

"Wow…" Felix whispered.

"I've only got one left," Blake said, holding a birch sapling.

The seven Usurpers left standing tightened their circle around them, forcing the trio away from the trees- and by extension the leaf blocks which could have given them more impromptu weapons. Tara raised a hand, and an ice block formed in midair.

"You're beginning to get on my nerves. You'll regret that."

With a flick of her wrist, the ice block shot forward. Felix swung his axe, shattering it before it could knock the final sapling out of Blake's hands. Tara, eyes narrowing, conjured another one and prepared to throw it.

"Her Genesis Core must not work as well out of the water," Felix thought, "otherwise she would've frozen us all solid in an instant. She's limited to one block at a time now!"

That, however, didn't make their chances much better. Tara hurled her second block, and once again Felix smashed it mid-flight. He could hold her off, as long as his axe didn't give out, but the troopers surrounding the trio were clearly waiting for an opening to swarm them.

"…huh?" Blake was looking at the tracker with a frown.

"There's a third Genesis Core shown here… another yellow one, moving right toward us."

Felix's blood chilled. "It's Ray. He's caught up."

Celia flinched and looked around. "Impossible! He couldn't have made it here without his transport, even if he did survive the zombies!"

Tara grunted, casually twirling another ice block in her hand. "He did. He rowed after you relentlessly, and he joined up with the rest of Crimson Squad. As disgraceful as his first failure was, I have to give him some credit for persevering. Surrender now; you are about to be even more woefully outnumbered."

Sure enough, another group of black-garbed Usurpation troopers were making their way through the village. At the front, wearing a familiar ragged cloak and cracked goggles, Ray advanced toward them. His mouth was locked in a snarl, and his eyes looked bloodshot. The grass at his feet appeared to shudder with each step, twisting and curling around itself.

"Inlanders… hello again…"

"Don't completely lose yourself, Sir Ray," Tara told him. "And don't forget it was your inadequacy that led to-"

She stopped talking. In unison, everyone in the village square looked up as a loud noise rang out. Felix hadn't ever heard it before; it was a long, droning sound which sent an inexplicable yet horrible chill down his spine.

"What is that?" Ray asked, looking for wherever the noise came from.

The sound reverberated again. Villagers could be heard panicking nearby, fleeing into their homes and slamming the doors shut. Elsewhere in the village, a bell began to frantically ring. Behind Felix, Blake let out a stifled gasp.

"…we have to get out of here."

His grip on the axe trembled. "What's going on?"

All around them, the Usurpers were beginning to break formation. They uneasily turned to watch the village's perimeter, steadily losing composure in the face of this new danger. A series of twangs were suddenly heard.

"Lady Tar- aagh!"

One of the troopers fell, landing on his back with several arrows protruding from his torso. Before Felix could react, Blake leaped in front of him and Celia, placing his wooden door just in time for more arrows to embed in it. The sound- a horn being blown- rang out once again, and the apprehension in Blake's face was impossible to ignore.

"It's a raid!"

Celia's eyes darted about the town square, her heart pounding as a new hostile force emerged. She'd heard of raids, but had never seen one herself. Growing up in Luxmouth under heavy security, the sight of an Illager alone was a rare one for her.

Despite always wondering what Illagers were like, she never would have wished to see over a dozen of them storming into the village with axes and crossbows drawn. Tall and ashy-skinned, not unlike the Usurpation, with large noses and stern expressions, the raiders possessed an aura of wrongness. They looked so much like normal, friendly villagers, yet their visages displayed nothing but malice.

"We need to go!" Blake repeated, this time shouting.

"Where? We're surrounded!" she asked.

The Illagers didn't concern themselves with the houses for the moment, instead focusing on the Usurpation. In an instant, the town rang out with battle cries and the shrieks of clashing metal. Everywhere Celia looked, she was met with either a trooper or a raider blocking a hypothetical escape route. Tara was busy defending herself from two axe-wielding Illagers, but Ray had no such distractions and was running right toward them.

"Incoming!" Celia yelped.

Blake stepped in front of her to face Ray. A stone and a metal blade collided, the former giving off a worrying "crack." Celia, while the pair had their weapons locked, stepped in to strike. Her stab at Ray's side was interrupted when the grass underfoot sprouted with supernatural speed, entangling her sword arm.

"Lime Squad died because of you three!"

Ray took a two-handed swing, bashing against Blake's sword with another vicious strike and forcing him to use both his hands to keep his blade in steady. Preoccupied with his grip on the weapon, Blake couldn't aim the sapling well enough to use the Bonemeal Core.

"You attacked us!" Blake grunted, taking a step back as Ray advanced.

The duel slowly led away from Celia, who twisted and pulled the tall grass around her arm. Felix joined her, hacking away at it from below with his axe. Taking notice of the predicament, both a Usurpation trooper and a crossbow-wielding raider set their sights on the two.

Cackling, the trooper approached and raised his sword. His swing toward her trapped arm never hit home, though, as Felix placed his oak door in the weapon's path. Its wooden frame splintered apart from the impact, but Celia had been bought just enough time to free herself. She stood behind Felix, planting her own door on the ground to block an arrow from the Illager's crossbow.

There was a hard "thump," and Celia turned just in time to see Felix double over, the Usurper having driven a knee into his stomach. She was at the defensive in an instant, parrying the foe's stab toward his neck.

"Submit, Inlander!" the trooper hissed. "You'll never overco-"

Celia stomped as hard as she could on his foot. The brief cringe it yielded loosened his pressure on her sword, which she slashed across his chest. Although the Usurper stumbled back from the strike, she'd only managed to leave a small gash in the thin armor he wore under his cloak.

"Blake could need help. I have to end this quickly!"

She moved to plunge her sword into the new weak point, but he was ready to block her this time. Their blades clashed again, and Celia's arms buckled as she tried to keep her grip.

"Ugh! Where are you, Ember?!"

The trooper was pushed away by an attack from Felix, who had swung his axe into the man's chestplate from below. He audibly groaned and struggled to catch his breath, with the crack in his armor even wider.

Celia steadied herself as her friend got to his feet, looking shaken but unharmed. The Usurper didn't even have time to raise his weapon again before an arrow embedded itself in the broken part of his armor from behind them. He toppled backwards, down for the count.

"You're next!" a nasal voice chided.

The crossbow-slinging raider had moved to have a line of sight around Celia's door, from where he'd shot the trooper. He loaded another arrow and took aim, but was himself interrupted when an ice block slammed into the side of his head. Dazed from the impact, his shot missed them both by a wide margin.

Celia turned to meet Tara's gaze, and she shuddered at how passionless the Usurper appeared. The battle raged around them, yet she looked bored as she stepped over the corpses of the two Illagers who'd attacked her, one of whom lacked a head. She generated another ice block in her free hand.

"What is all of this?" Tara asked. "These brutes are clearly not your allies."

"You've never heard of a bad omen?" replied Celia. Though this was the first raid she'd experienced (and, she hoped, the only one), she had learned a bit about Illager sorcery growing up. "One of your peons must have-"

"Lady Celia!" Felix blurted out. "We should go!"

She looked at him, then took a moment to survey the surroundings. Tara had been set upon by another axe-wielder, but was already overpowering him. The rest of the Illagers and Usurpers remained locked in battle, leaving none to focus on the pair of them.

"I agree. Let's find Blake and escape!"

Not sparing the carnage another look, Celia ran off toward the church. She only hoped their companion would be there already.

"I'll make you suffer how my team did TEN TIMES OVER!"

Ray's attacks- and his threats- were no less ferocious as Blake continued to be pushed further from the village square. The Usurper wasn't just disheveled in appearance; his sword form was sloppy, focused on large, intimidating swings rather than practicality.

"Even I'm better than this, and I've been out of practice. But…"

Parrying his opponent's blade was less of an issue than constantly having to shift his attention to the terrain. Although Ray's swordsmanship was nothing special, his Grass Core compensated to a worrying degree. Blake found himself struggling not to trip over a tight grass knot every few steps, and the distraction eventually paid off for his foe.

"Hold still!"

A clump of grass ensnared his foot as he was aiming a stab, and he stumbled back. Ray took another mighty swing, which Blake feebly tried to block with a one-handed grip. The impact both broke his stone blade and launched the hilt from his hand.

"Damn…!"

With the next slash incoming, he drew from his inventory the only weapon he had left. His shovel had broken while digging the tunnel under the village, but the wooden axe hadn't been used since he crafted it that first night after leaving home. Blake held it up in a panic, just in time for his foe's curved iron blade to bite into it and crack its head in two.

"Are you kidding me?!" Ray snarled, wrenching his sword free. "Stop stalling and DIE!"

Sidestepping a thrust, Blake clubbed him in the head with the handle of his broken axe. Though his impromptu weapon was little more than a stick, it surprised Ray enough for him to steal the blade right out of his hands.

"I'm really wishing I'd brought that diamond sword with me…"

There wasn't even time to take in how Blake's new blade felt before he heard several harsh snaps to his left. Recognizing the sound, he scrambled aside as a row of fanged, monstrous jaws materialized where he'd stood, crunching at the air. At the beginning of the line, an Illager in black robes with gold trim leered in his direction.

Ray had also avoided the fangs, now on one knee with a hand in the grass. It didn't seem possible for him to become even angrier, yet the look in his eyes could only be summarized as single-minded loathing.

"You must be the one we tracked here!" the Illager chuckled, not looking at Blake but at Ray. "You'll regret taking out that patrol."

"He had a bad omen? No wonder the raid party showed up with him!"

Ignoring the question of when Ray might have acquired such a status, Blake called to the sorcerer. "Hey. I guess we've got a common enemy, want to-"

Unsurprisingly, he was interrupted by and forced to jump over another line of fangs emerging from the ground.

"Save your breath, human. ALL of you will fall before us!"

Ray stood up, and Blake saw what he'd been kneeling for. Elongated blades of grass had snaked around his right arm, coiling and weaving themselves into what could only be described as a tendril. The Bonemeal Core's energy hummed within Blake, as if responding to the Grass Core's effect on the plant life.

"He wasn't kidding when he said he had better control than I do…"

"Arise, spirits of affliction," intoned the Illager, raising both arms. "Swarm and destroy my enemies!"

Bursts of pale vapor emitted from his hands, followed by the sudden apparition of three small, ghostly winged creatures armed with tiny swords. Their pure white eyes glinted maliciously.

"Crap! Vexes!" he thought, a pit forming in his stomach.

They flitted about, seeming to ignore Ray altogether in favor of attacking him. He warded one off with a swing of the curved blade, cutting it out of the air, but a second jabbed at his left shoulder while he was distracted. The wound, though not deep, stung fiercely, and Blake cringed when he brought his arm up to slash at the vex. His wild attack didn't do more than make it retreat to a safer distance.

"That's my good arm, too…"

Not helping matters was the new weapon's unfamiliarity. It was both lighter and shorter than the straight blade he was used to, and swinging the curved edge felt alien to his muscle memory. Blake managed to score a hit on the offending vex when it swooped toward him again, but he could hear the third one giggling right behind him. As he turned to confront it, the grass underfoot tangled around his ankles. He barely avoided falling over, panicking when the vex shrieked a battle cry.

No feeling of the short sword piercing his neck came, however. Daring to look back, Blake saw the vex restrained just out of reach of him, furiously struggling. It was held in place by Ray's tendril, which had extended several blocks in length and coiled around the tiny monster. Along the ground, more fangs from the sorcerer were similarly ensnared in long blades of grass.

"What?" the Illager growled.

Ray, with a swing of the tendril, threw the vex at its master. Blake watched, mouth agape, as he followed up by launching himself onto the sorcerer and bludgeoning him barehanded. Within moments, the Illager lay motionless.

Blake cut at the weeds around his feet while Ray seemed preoccupied with inspecting something on the Illager's body. It wasn't until he finally freed himself that his foe turned to face him. By then, however, Blake was ready to turn the tables. The grass tendril whipped around as he pointed the last sapling at Ray, and for a fraction of a second before he concentrated the Bonemeal Core's power he saw the Usurper's eyes alight with shock.

He didn't lose his footing when the tree grew this time. Ray, on the other hand, was blown clear off the ground and through the window of a nearby house. A crash was heard within, and a pair of terrified villagers fled out the door.

Ray's last attack had landed just before the tree sprouted, leaving a cut on his cheek that stung even worse than his shoulder. Weary and wincing, Blake called to the panicking townsfolk. "Hey, are you hurt?"

The pair trembled when they looked at him, but shook their heads.

"We need to get out of here," he continued. "Head to the church; there should be someone inside with a way to escape."

"Actually, I'm right here."

Blake whirled to see Ember, still clad in iron armor with a golden helmet, standing a few blocks away. He wasn't letting himself feel relieved just yet, but a face other than a Usurper or Illager was a welcome sight.

"I don't know what happened here," he said, diamond sword held tight as he cast around a cautious glance, "but I'm doing my best to continue the plan. Both enemy forces are distracted, and I've guided as many townsfolk to safety as I could, so let's get going."

Never having wanted to be somewhere less, Blake nodded. He clutched his injured shoulder and began to run after Ember, the two villagers close behind.

"Where are the others, though…?"

The axe swung past Celia by a hair's width, and its momentum carried the Illager wielding it into a stumble. She put him down with a quick stab, then turned to check on the group of villagers following her.

After escaping the initial skirmish, she and Felix found themselves passing by a large house where, rather than barricading their own homes, six townsfolk had opted to hide together. A pair of raiders had broken down the door just as they arrived, but were dispatched before any innocents could be harmed.

"We are making for the church, where an ally is preparing an escape route," she'd told them, "Follow us, and we will keep you safe!"

Another wave of Illagers had arrived shortly thereafter, and by some twist of fortune devoted most of their number to attacking the Usurpation first. Celia, not one to question the logic given fate had thrown her a bone at last, had led the villagers out of the house and toward the church with Felix bringing up the rear. Working their way around the town's perimeter, they'd managed to round up another three villagers.

That was how she wound up at the farm, pursued only by a few Illagers and with the Usurpation nowhere in sight. The planter was devoid of crops, no doubt due to the raid, but there were at least no more trapped civilians. Her spirit soared when the church came into view, mere chunks away.

"There it is. Go, go!" one villager exclaimed.

"I dunno what you're thinking will get us to safety, lady," another said, "but it's better than waiting around here. Thanks!"

As they began to run the final stretch, her eye was caught by a sudden movement from behind another small house. A crossbow shot sounded, and she'd thrown herself in front of a villager before she could even process her reaction.

"Ugh-!"

The arrow struck her in the hip, digging through the leather armor Felix had lent her. Pain seared up and down her torso, and Celia had to bite her tongue to withhold a scream. She shakily clutched her side with her free hand, feeling blood on her fingers.

"Miss me?!"

Through teary eyes she could see the attacker: the same crossbow-wielding pillager who'd been struck by Tara before. His head sported a large, dark bruise, but he had a vicious grin as he loaded another arrow.

"LADY CELIA!"

Felix stood in front of her, facing down the raider. "All of you, keep going!" he shouted. She couldn't see his face, but his panic and anger were audible.

"I-is that really him? I don't think I've ever heard him raise his voice so much…"

The villagers hesitated to move.

"Just run! Get to safety!" she added. "We'll be okay!"

Whether or not they were convinced- and truth be told, she wasn't convinced- they did as asked and hurried off. The Illager let them go, taking aim at the pair again.

Celia flinched at the sound of another shot, but all she heard was the thunk of an arrow striking stone. She looked up and saw what had gotten in the way: Felix had placed his crafting table on the ground and his dispenser atop it, facing the Illager. He then picked up the arrow, loaded it into the dispenser, and launched it back using the button he'd held on to. The returned projectile hit the raider quite literally head-on, and he collapsed onto his back. Had Celia not been injured, she might have cheered at his sleight of hand; all of it occurred in seconds.

"Whoa! Are you guys okay?!"

Blake's voice came from the left. He, Ember, and another two villagers were approaching, and despite the pain Celia felt a smile reach her. It faded when she saw the cut on his cheek and the way he clutched his shoulder.

"I've had worse," she said as Felix helped her stand. Blood continued to leak from around the arrow, and another searing jolt passed through her "Well… perhaps I haven't."

"It's been a rough day for everyone," Ember replied. "We're heading out now. Do you need help getting back to the church?"

Felix had one arm around her. "I can get her there. Let's go."

More horns went off throughout the village, and the sounds of fighting continued, but the group made it to the church without further interruption. There, they climbed down the ladder- a very painful experience on Celia's part due to her wound- to the hidden room below, where a large group of villagers crowded around and hesitantly looked at the Nether portal.

Ember got to work distributing more golden helmets and boots immediately, shouting above the gathering. "Everyone put something on! And I mean everyone! After that, jump through the purple vortex over there!"

The villagers did as told, though most of them clearly struggled to fit the armor. One by one, they stepped into the obsidian frame and disappeared until only the four of them were left.

"I'll cover our tracks," Ember said, starting back toward the ladder. "Get inside; we've got reinforcements waiting for you."

"No point in hanging around here," Blake remarked, still holding his shoulder.

Felix spoke up, sounding for all the world like he was apologizing. "Um… thank you both, for coming to save me."

"Talk later!" Ember snapped.

Celia winced as she approached the portal. "He's right. We may discuss amongst ourselves once we are safe. Follow my lead!"

Hoping she wasn't about to walk into an even worse situation, she entered the purple vortex and felt herself slip away from the world.