Chapter 25: Into the Depths
Each monster Tara cut down gave her a sliver of catharsis. They were unchallenging foes even without her Ice Core, and every small victory allowed her to take out her frustrations.
But who was she frustrated toward? Marshal Orion, who might have survived if he'd warned the group about not binding two Genesis Cores at once? Commandant Red, for dragging them through these endless caves in what had to have been a deliberately sluggish pace with little reason? Ray, who she knew was enjoying her demotion but wasn't lording it over her like she'd expected him to?
Herself, for letting the Countess expose her vulnerability? Herself, for acting on impulse? Herself, for thinking she could possibly harness the power of two Cores?
She sighed. That was the end of the latest zombie wave, leaving her without a distraction from her fuming. How far she'd fallen indeed…
Tara had heard the stories of the fledgling Usurpation Army from fellow wanderers, back in the wastes. Her singular goal for months had been to find them, to partake in the subjugation of the Inlanders who'd banished their ancestors. She had the determination to see it through- but she also knew how a lone scavenger in rags would look to her enemies, and after joining the Usurpation she knew making a name for herself would require standing out.
So, she'd taken on a stoic, unflappable guise. She'd proven her worth and then some before even setting foot in the Inlands, facing down the monsters of the wastes without letting any signs of weakness through. And her efforts seemed to have paid off; she'd been given command of an Expansion scout team as well as the privilege of a Genesis Core.
Now, though… she'd lost everything, and she couldn't even muster the energy to adopt her stoic persona again. What could possibly be left for her was a mystery. She didn't even know why she was still alive; Ray could have left her for dead back in Luxmouth, and she'd assumed the Commandant would simply have her executed. But neither fate had befallen her.
"That's far enough."
Speaking of whom, Red's abrupt command brought everyone to a halt. Eager for any distraction from her own introspection, she listened in.
"This is the place, isn't it? Show yourselves."
She frowned- was he not talking to any of them? The Commandant paced by the entrance to a branching mineshaft full of cobwebs, his iron-laden armor glinting in the light of a single torch planted on the wall. Though the area looked no different than anywhere else to her, he was clearly expecting something.
Dark shapes moved around them, but he didn't seem concerned. Ray and Esme were back to back, while Lime-3 remained by the Red Squad vanguards. Perplexed, Tara kept her blade held out for whatever mobs would attack next.
But the things surrounding them weren't mobs at all. They were other humans, wearing attire which almost resembled that of the Usurpation. Half a dozen people in long, black robes stepped from the shadows in annoyingly casual manners, not even holding weapons. She couldn't see much else of their appearances, for each member of the group wore a black mask stylized like a distorted, screaming face.
"Welcome, Usurpers," the one closest to the Commandant said in a low, smooth voice. "We expected you… sooner…"
"Expected us? Sir, who are they?" Tara heard Ray ask.
"More Inlanders," said Red, "but ones whose goals apparently aren't so different from our own. They call themselves the Ender Forge, and we're here to discuss an alliance with them."
As Melissa walked with her group back to the suite, Celia struggled to find the right words. Half of her family was missing without a trace; what could she say? Any reassurances would be hollow, given her lack of information.
"Are you okay, Celia? You look uncomfortable." Melissa was giving her a tap on the shoulder.
"I feel like I should be asking you that. I'm so sorry to hear what's been happening these last few weeks… I've wanted to write to you for some time now. But with the war effort, and the intercepted messages-"
"It's okay. I understand."
She didn't feel much better, but the kind smile Melissa was giving her at least assuaged the guilt.
"Hm. You two are on a first-name basis?" Varris was listening in with a quirked brow. She was the only one whose interest appeared piqued; Felix was showing Blake something in his notebook at the rear of the group. Their eyes were narrowed- whatever schematic was drawn must have been complicated.
"We've known each other for some time now," Celia replied. "Shouldn't formality break down just a little among friends?"
"Maybe, but I don't think I've heard your other friend call you anything except 'Lady Celia' since we started traveling together."
That got Felix's attention. He put the book away, looking between Celia, Varris, and Melissa with a meek grin.
"You don't have to call me that if you don't want to," Celia told him.
"I-it's an old habit… I'm not sure I'd be able to break it as easily as Miss Beryl has."
They reached the suite soon after, and by that time Celia was feeling the repercussions of their neglected breakfast. Just as she was contemplating whether it would be appropriate to cook a steak that early in the morning, she heard Melissa speak up in a hushed tone. "Forgive me, but… could I please talk to you all inside?"
The mood changed. Varris crossed her arms, Felix and Blake shared brief glances, and a subtle worry tugged at Celia. They all entered, after which Melissa let out a breath as if to brace herself.
"I need your help. I can't prove anything, but I suspect Benedict isn't telling us the whole truth."
"You're not the only one," Blake replied. He and Felix both wore grim, focused expressions. They appeared uneasy, and as Blake continued to explain, Celia was starting to feel the same way. "We've had a few encounters with the Usurpation, but I haven't seen any signs of them since we left Luxmouth. If they've been cutting off messages between cities, why didn't we run into any of their troops on the way here? I don't know what kind of ransom note he found, but I've seen how they write, too, and their written language definitely isn't readable by us."
"Hold on," Celia said. "We have experience with the Usurpers, but not with many of them. Isn't it possible one could have simply learned to write as we do?"
Blake scratched his head. "That could be it. But don't you think it's weird he didn't ask us for any advice on how to deal with them, or for us to teach him more about the Usurpation? He just took the tracker and got out of there pretty quickly. Didn't seem all that concerned about this 'search team' being found while they look for the Genesis Core, either."
Melissa slumped against one of the walls, wide-eyed. Celia shared her bewilderment; a lot had just been put forward at once.
"Are you suggesting he's behind the kidnappings? Do you think he's in league with the Usurpation?" asked Varris.
"They never seemed keen on working with any Inlanders to me," Blake replied, "but he could be trying to curry favor with them by finding a Genesis Core. Maybe. We don't have proof of anything, so I can't say for sure whether he's behind it. ."
Celia groaned, rubbing her forehead. "It sounds far-fetched, but if you're right then I just gave away our tracker to him for no reason… what are we supposed to do now?"
"We can't confront him directly about it," said Melissa. "Either we turn out to be wrong and end up hurting your credibility, or- if we AREN'T wrong- we admit we're onto him, and my mom and Galen might be in even more danger."
Felix flipped open his notebook, pacing to a corner of the table in the lounge. "There is one thing we could do. I have the coordinates of the two Genesis Cores written down, so we can find them ourselves before him. From there, maybe we can negotiate the release of your family if he does know where they are."
"This plan of yours isn't based on much hard evidence, and it sounds like it could go wrong in quite a few ways," Varris remarked.
It wasn't the most foolproof strategy, Celia had to admit. But she was impressed with Felix's forward thinking, and it wasn't like she had any other ideas. Sitting around and hoping for the best didn't appeal to her, as usual.
"A few of our plans have been like that," Blake said, apparently reaching the same connection. "It comes with the company."
Celia frowned. "What's that supposed to-"
"If you're going to head underground, I'd like to come with you," Melissa cut in. "It won't look good if you get caught wandering off alone, and I know the tunnels pretty well, too.
"Are you sure?" Celia asked her. "If you get hurt, your father…"
"It was my idea, wasn't it? I'll accept full responsibility for whatever happens to me."
Varris crossed her arms with a huff. "This wasn't part of the arrangement. I'm staying up here."
Before Celia could even think of a reply, Melissa was already speaking again. "I'm sure guards will be looking for me soon- I was lucky to be away from them for this long. If they come here and find you alone, with the rest of us missing, they'll assume the worst."
There was a pause. Varris eventually sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine… let's just get this over with."
The five of them got to work. Using pickaxes crafted from their supply of iron, they began to tunnel beneath the floor in one large hole. After replacing a few layers of blocks to cover their tracks, Melissa dropped a splash potion of night vision at their feet, and Celia found she could see perfectly despite the pitch darkness.
"I always carry a few around with me. I've also got plenty of torches for when the potion wears off," she explained.
Celia prepared to start mining the block under her feet, but Blake put a hand on her wrist before she could break it. "Never dig right beneath you. We don't know what's under us- it could be a long drop, or lava."
"Sounds like you're speaking from personal experience," Melissa told him.
"I used to go mining a lot with some old friends. Once, we dug straight down into an underground ravine. It was a good thing there was water at the bottom, otherwise I wouldn't be here today. Not to mention the mobs lurking down there… we learned our lesson, is the point."
Another mention of his previous group. Were time not of the essence as they began digging, Celia might have asked Blake to tell more stories about the life he left behind. It sounded so intriguing, so different to her background, or even Felix's. Wild, and boundless, and free… though she suspected he wouldn't describe his old escapades with such grandiosity.
Given Tenebyss' enormous mining operations, it didn't take long for the group to break into another cave system. More specifically, they dropped onto a cobblestone pathway at the top of a chasm so tall that Celia couldn't see the bottom, even with her vision enhanced. The cave was almost perfectly rectangular, with torches dotting the walls and more crisscrossing paths below them.
"A strip mine," said Melissa. "Watch your step, it's a long way down if you fall."
"I guess we can't dig any further down here, but the tunnels might bring us to more solid ground. I'll calculate how many blocks we need to travel to get back on track," Felix reported.
While he got to work, it occurred to Celia that she'd never been so far underground before, let alone in such an expansive mine. The stale, dry air and the dusty smell were sensations she'd never felt so strongly, growing up in a port city, but the sounds held her attention even closer. A faint trickle of water somewhere nearby, the echoes of flickering torches, an occasional bat squeak overhead, the sudden footsteps from both sides of the catwalk…
The sense of wonder dried up quickly. She drew her sword and backed up against Blake as the group's escape was cut off, the tunnels ahead and behind obstructed by men in black robes and masks with horrific, gaping maws. Melissa wound up by Celia's side, unarmed and glancing back and forth.
"I guess we won't have to dig the floor out from under your suite after all," said a familiar voice.
Benedict rounded the corner behind one of the groups, donning an identical mask. His cohorts wielded axes, while he loosely carried a diamond sword. Seeing their concern, he just smirked without another word. All in all, they were surrounded by eight foes.
"Ender Forge disguises," Celia heard Melissa say. "Benedict… what is this?"
"It's just a fun bit of negotiating" one of the people on the other side jeered. He turned and called into the tunnel behind him, "get up here! Are these the ones?"
And just as Celia was starting to wonder how bad the situation could become, who else revealed themselves but the Usurpation; Ray, Tara, and two others she recognized from Luxmouth were standing with the men in black.
Benedict began to chuckle. "Thank you for joining us… because you won't be leaving."
Blake gripped his sword, staring down the Usurpers he'd so consistently run into. Ray's usual frown was firm as ever as he glared back, and he held a blade of his own. Iron, by the looks of it, and luckily not enchanted, but Blake was worried less about the weapon and more about the bundle of grass coiled in his other hand- his Genesis Core would complicate matters further.
"You again," Ray said. "Did you follow us here?"
"I'm not thrilled to see you and Tara either," Blake shot back. "Isn't there anyone else in your army?
"As a matter of fact, there is."
They were already surrounded by dangerous-looking strangers, but none of them began to compare to the next person who came around the corner. Not a sliver of skin was visible on the newcomer, so densely covered in burgundy armor Blake almost thought the Usurpation had brought with them a metal man. All of the soldiers he'd encountered may have given him death stares, but somehow none of their malice unnerved him quite as much as the faceless gaze this person was giving him- the only expression to be seen was Blake's own, reflected in the orange visor of his helmet. Or maybe it was the dozens of short iron blades covering his suit which really got to him.
The iron man stepped past Ray and Tara, past the mysterious soldiers, until he too stood on the stone walkway over the abyss. He was quiet, sizing up Blake and his companions from at most a chunk away.
"Who are you?" he heard Celia demand. "A Usurper? Or one of Benedict's thugs?"
A harsh, raspy laugh sounded from the man's helmet. "I am the blood and soul of our forces, the one who blazes our trail into the Inlands… and much like the blood and blaze, I am Red. One of the three Commandants of our army."
"I don't know how high up that is, but if he's giving a whole speech about it he's either delusional or one of the top dogs," Blake thought, apprehension mounting.
"Benedict…" Melissa snarled. "What have you done? Where is my family?"
"They're alive. And if you come quietly, we'll be able to say the same for you," he replied, casual as could be. "The Usurpers are more interested in your friends, but the Ender Forge will be retaking Tenebyss one Beryl at a time. With three of you in captivity, Andrew will do anything we want."
Blake's eyes wandered as he spoke. Their escape routes were almost nonexistent: digging back up would make them too easy to follow, falling down the chasm was out of the question, and jumping to one of the other pathways- if they could even make such a jump- would only lead to a maze of more tunnels.
"Some mess this is," snorted Varris.
"Do you think you can…?" Felix asked her, pointing at their feet.
"Sure. I know just the solution."
The young woman at Ray's side- Blake didn't know her name, but he recognized her as the one who'd been wielding an extractor during the raid- was holding something that looked like a spruced-up Core tracker. She looked at Varris, then up at a nondescript spot on the cavern's ceiling.
"Sir, the dark Stone Core is right in front of us… I think she has it bound. But there's an unidentified Genesis Core also coming our way."
Commandant Red crossed his arms. "Another friend of yours?"
"What are we waiting for?" hissed an Ender Forge grunt. "Let's just get 'em already."
Blake barely had time to wonder who could be coming for them if not even the Usurpation knew. First he felt the stone blocks shift under him, and a second later his stomach clenched as they entered a free-fall. His friends clung to their blocks on the ride down the chasm, too stunned to even scream. The only calm one was Varris, and it clicked for Blake: she was hurtling the stones down the mine, and by extension the rest of the team. Not a bad escape option- provided it didn't wind up dropping them into more danger.
At the bottom, they were faced by another pair of tunnel entrances, to their front and left. Both were lit by torches, at least enough to ward off mobs, but where they led was anyone's guess. Also of note was the stone that far down. For a moment Blake thought the potion of night vision was wearing off already, but it turned out the rocks themselves had gotten darker. He wasn't even sure what material they were surrounded by- certainly not the usual stone he'd been familiar with his whole life.
"What now? Can we lose them in the caves?" Blake asked, bringing his focus back to the situation at hand.
"We should find the Genesis Core," said Celia. "Whatever kind it is, it could give us the edge we need. Felix, can you still lead us to it?"
"I just dropped us about 50 blocks down," Varris added.
Felix stole another hurried glance at his notebook, before pointing toward the leftmost tunnel. "That way should bring us closer. But if the Usurpation didn't even know we were here before now, they must have been looking for it too. We could be overrun if they all chase us after it."
A metallic screech drew their attention upward. Commandant Red was pursuing them, skidding down the side of the mine with his blades dug into the rock. His underlings and the Ender Forge members had jumped from the pathway altogether, but were falling at much slower rates than was natural. One of them must have used some kind of potion, for their bodies were emitting small, wispy blue swirls.
The escape hadn't given them much of a head start, and Blake knew Felix was right: their pursuers would overwhelm them in such numbers. He also knew one surefire way to buy themselves a little more breathing room.
"Let's split up. I bet I could get at least a few of them to follow me away from the Genesis Core," Blake said, putting on his diamond armor.
Celia briefly deployed the shulker box, and she and Felix did the same with their suits. Melissa looked between the three in awe.
"I will join you," Celia told him. "Melissa, could you and Felix-"
"I'm going with you."
It was the firmest Blake had seen Melissa act, but none of it seemed angry- more tense and determined. Her and Celia's eyes remained locked, an entire unspoken conversation appearing to take place.
"If you're certain," Celia finally said.
Varris cast another glance at Red, who was getting closer to the ground by the second. "Well, if you're gonna keep them distracted, then I'll go find the Core. I'm not fighting your war with you. Lead on, kid."
Blake suddenly wasn't confident leaving Varris with Felix, when her devotion to the cause was tenuous at best. But he could beat himself up about it later- there was no time to rethink the plan. As their pursuers descended, the group parted ways: Felix and Varris went left, while Blake, Celia, and Melissa ran into the tunnel straight ahead.
As they went, Blake had the troubling suspicion they'd just entered the deepest, darkest pit of the world.