Chapter 27: Deep Dark, Part 2

Blake ducked behind a crevice in the rocks, his back aching and his breath heavy. His diamond armor had absorbed most of the damage from the fall, but between that and the fighting he'd done back in Luxmouth, it was in bad shape. He certainly didn't trust it to take a hit from the Warden, which was lumbering somewhere behind him and didn't seem fazed at all by the tumble. At least it was easy to keep track of; the beast's low groans and the chirps from its twitching horns always let him know where it was. The hard part was keeping it at a distance. He'd seen how quickly it could move, and its ability to sense vibrations meant it could just as easily find him with one wrong step.

He peeked out from his hiding spot, but flinched when the crystal plating of his boots scraped against the rocks. Another chirp resounded, this time from another crevice nearby. His blood chilled- were there two Wardens in the cave? Blake removed the diamond leggings and boots before they could make any more noise.

Assessing the surroundings didn't give him much hope. He'd fled to his position after the fall, maybe two chunks away and ten blocks below the ledge. Not a very long distance to safety, but the Warden's enormous silhouette stood in his way. Worse still, the other denizens of the cave- zombies, skeletons, and he thought he heard a creeper hiss somewhere overhead- were prowling in the darkness. A zombie's dragging footsteps seemed to be headed for Blake's hiding spot, but it never had the chance to get to him. The Warden swung its arm, and the cave echoed with a horrific squelch.

A second later, Blake realized why the zombie may have been coming his way: the two Usurpation soldiers he'd fallen with had just unknowingly taken cover right beside him. And another second layer, the invisibility potion wore off.

"What the-"

Ray had his sword drawn in a flash, but the usual anger in his eyes wasn't present. He looked more nervous and confused than anything. His mask was gone, and the armor beneath his dull tan cloak was cracked worse than Blake's own. At his side, the other Usurper didn't seem in much better shape, clutching a gash on his thigh. It looked like a zombie had clawed him there earlier, and the wound had only gotten worse.

"Keep it down, and no sudden movements," Blake whispered. He was holding his sword as well, but he hesitated to attack them. "I think it can feel vibrations in the air and ground- that's how it finds you."

"Sir Ray! Lime-3! Can you hear me?"

The voice was coming from the ledge, where one of the other Usurpers- Esme, as Blake recalled her name- was slowly descending into the chasm by a pillar of water, with Tara close behind. Her yell, or the vibration of it, triggered another twitch of the Warden's horns. With a roar, the monster grabbed something and threw it her way: a skeleton, which just barely missed and shattered on impact with the cavern wall.

"Get out of here!" Ray yelled back. "We'll find our own way out, don't follow us!"

Sure enough, that drew the Warden's attention away from her and onto Ray again. Tara and Esme scramble back onto the ledge, but the two began to shout at the monster, keeping it distracted. Blake didn't feel much more at ease despite that, especially with the second set of chirping coming from behind him.

"What is that?" Ray asked, keeping his voice low.

"It could be another one of them," said Blake, "but I don't know why it hasn't come out if that's the case."

A second skeleton smashed into the ground near them, hurled back by the titanic mob. As the broken bones were flung in all directions, another chirp sounded from whatever was near them. The Warden hadn't taken notice yet, but Blake didn't count on his luck to last that long. He looked back at Ray, and his injured companion.

"You guys want to call a truce for now?" he asked the two Usurpers. "If we start fighting and it finds us, we're done for. I don't even have a Genesis Core; you won't get anything out of it."

Lime-3 glanced at them uncertainly. Ray, who Blake realized didn't look more than a few years older than him without his mask, had a furrowed brow.

"…I still have a score to settle with you," he muttered. "But Lime-3 is hurt, and I need to get him to safety. I'll leave you be for now, so don't make me change my mind."

Blake nodded. "Okay. I'll go see what's making that sound. Maybe I can get the Warden to move out of the way, and you two can build back up to the ledge. Do you have spare blocks?"

"Yes. And what are you going to do?" Ray asked.

"I'll figure that out at some point. Here goes…"

He didn't wait to hear a reply and crept out of the crevice, making his way toward the source of the second chirping. Blake was careful not to drag his feet on anything, or even to nudge a stray pebble. He only looked back once, to double check Ray wasn't trying to backstab him. Fortunately, the Usurper seemed to be keeping his word, and was helping his ally inch along the side of the cave. The Warden must have thrown one too many mobs toward Tara and Esme, for they weren't on the edge of the upper tunnel anymore. Blake wasn't looking forward to running into them on his way out- maybe he could make a new tunnel, or dig through the ceiling back to Tenebyss? Were Celia and Melissa still up there, looking for him?

"Stay focused… just gotta hope everyone else is having better luck right now."

Blake found the source of the noise tucked within a gap in the dark stones: a patch of thick, blue-green moss like what was covering the Warden's body. In the center sat a fungal-looking growth which swayed back and forth, warbling every time something vibrated near it. He wasn't sure what it was supposed to be, but it resembled the Warden's horns perfectly.

"Is this the 'sensor' those guys were talking about? I wonder if I can get its attention with this…"

Praying he wasn't about to get himself killed, he jabbed at the growth with his sword. It immediately let out a screech and violently thrashed about, after which he the Warden snarl. For good measure, he ground his foot against the sensor until it finally stopped moving. Heavy footsteps thudded toward him, and he knew it was time to get anywhere else.

An arrow embedded in the back of his leg before he could do anything. Blake cried out and fell onto one knee, craning his neck to see the faint shape of another skeleton in the dark. It drew back its bow again, only for an enormous fist to smash through it, scattering bones everywhere. The Warden was mere blocks away from Blake, and it sensed him struggling to get back up. In a panic, he began to rapidly place cobblestone blocks under him, wincing with every jump. His makeshift tower got him out of its reach with a fraction of a second to spare. By the time the Warden crashed through it, he'd already thrown himself onto one of the many outcroppings lining the walls.

"Ow…!"

He tried not to put too much- or any- pressure on his injured leg. The arrow was still stuck in the back of his thigh, and he inwardly cursed himself for so hastily removing his diamond leggings. Damaged as they were, he might have avoided this problem with them on.

On the bright side, he was just about level with the tunnel he'd fallen from. The Warden appeared to have dealt with all of the skeletons in the chasm, and it lacked other mobs to throw, so he was free to build a bridge across without fear of anything flying his way. He spotted Ray and Lime-3 creeping along the bottom of the cave, toward the wall. If he wanted to avoid them, and disappear back into the mine shaft, there was no better time for it, but what he saw next made him pause.

He had heard a creeper before. One of them was lurking in an alcove near the exit, observing the scuffle as the two Usurpers passed beneath it. Blake knew what was about to happen, but had no time to warn them before it hissed and jumped. The creeper hit the ground right in the middle of the pair, and less than a second later it exploded.

They were flung in opposite directions, Ray landing at the base of the wall right below where Blake had made his bridge to. Lime-3 was blown off his feet and wound up back at the crevice they'd been hiding at. Worse still, the Warden had taken interest in the blast and was headed their way again. Ray sat up against the rocks, watching the beast stomp closer.

"Hey, monster! Over here!"

Lime-3 had rolled onto his back and was shouting at it. He'd grabbed a fallen bit of cobblestone as well, scraping it against the rocks as hard as he could. The Warden's horns shivered in response, and it turned to him instead.

"Samuel, what're you doing?" Ray gasped.

"My legs are both injured… I-I can't get up anymore. I'll just slow you down."

Blake's breath caught in his throat. It was too dark to see Lime-3's face, but the resignation in his voice was chilling.

"You need to escape! Get out of here, while you still can!"

Ray was on his feet again, but there was no way he'd be able to reach his ally. The Warden was practically on top of him already. Blake squeezed his eyes shut- even in the dark, he couldn't bear to watch.

"I-It's been an hon-"

Samuel didn't get to finish.

Felix's back was to the wall. Varris had a few stone blocks raised, ready to defend against the multitude of iron blades calmly swirling around Red. The squad of Usurpation soldiers behind him didn't draw near, allowing their leader to take center stage while preventing them from escaping that way.

Red looked at Varris, her glare reflecting off his orange visor. "You're fighting alongside them? And here I thought your kind was an enemy to humanity. At any rate, the Illagers have been thorns in our side since we first arrived."

"The kids and I have an arrangement. I was just a child when the last war broke out, and I'm not getting caught up in another one," Varris replied. "Men, and mobs, and Illagers… I'd call this whole mess nostalgic, but I want nothing to do with it."

Whatever her thoughts on the war might have been, Felix knew he and Varris would have to fight their way out, but he needed time to make a plan.

"Interesting friends you've made," he said, hoping he sounded braver than he felt. "Ender Forge holdouts… they were the aggressors last time, and now you've thrown in with them. How did this happen?"

Red crossed his arms. "Well, you see, the story of our cooperation is-"

One of the blades darted forth, flying around Varris and toward Felix. He flinched and jerked his hand, whereupon one of the diamonds on the floor seemed to leap in front of his face. The iron collided with it and bounced harmlessly off, clattering among the many stones and gems they were stood ankle-deep in.

"Oh? Good reflexes, kid." Red sounded genuinely impressed, tapping a finger against his gauntlet. "I thought I could catch you by surprise there… but don't let it get to your head. You've got no deeper skill with that Core, not after you just found it."

His remaining blades paired off and began to spin in midair, picking up speed until they were gray blurs, like the saw of a stonecutter. They hovered around Red, who took a step closer to them.

"I almost feel bad about killing you before you can get any better with it. But such is life sometimes. Goodbye."

He flung two of the spinning blades. Varris reacted quicker this time, and brought up a pillar of stone into which they dug. Before Red could call them back, she pushed her hands forward. The top half of the pillar snapped off and flew at him.

It was then that Felix realized what the countless metal bits and barbs adorning Red's chestplate actually were. They flew off his armor and collected in front of him, forming an iron block which broke the incoming stone like it was nothing. He thrust it at Varris, who raised a wall of more deepslate in front of her. Before impact, though, the iron separated back into shards and curved around her barrier. Felix watched in astonishment as they merged again, slamming into Varris. She was knocked back, hitting her head against one of the many diamond ores they hadn't broken. His surprise turned to horror when the spinning blades flew after her, and he found himself jumping in their path. They bit into his diamond armor, but it didn't break. Even better, the iron scraps lodged in his chestplate and weren't coming loose. For a brief moment, that left the Commandant without any weapons.

Felix swung his hand up, trying to tap into his Genesis Core's power. All he managed was to launch a single diamond from the ground, which Red easily saw coming. He took a step to the left and let the gemstone fly right past without even uncrossing his arms, like the attack was barely worth acknowledging. And Felix had counted on that.

He made a motion like he was pulling back on thin air. The diamond instantly changed course, striking Red from behind with a satisfying clang against his helmet. It didn't do more than surprise him, but Felix wasn't done yet, following up by throwing more and more of them at him from the ground. Already he felt his control over the Diamond Core strengthening- his attacks became easier to execute, and the barrage picked up speed. Red's armor wasn't showing any signs of damage, but he couldn't move beyond bringing up his gauntlets to block. Felix started toward him, axe in hand.

A second later he was flat on his back, something having swept his legs out from under him.

"Really? Throwing rocks at me, you thought that was the best use of your Genesis Core?"

Red stood over him, levitating the reformed iron block right above Felix. He'd made the same mistake as the Commandant, and hadn't considered what was behind him. But unlike Red, he had far less control.

"I'm not some common thug, brat! Villages have fallen before me!"

The block slammed down against Felix's chestplate, knocking the wind out of him and denting the armor.

"I'll see you Inlanders laid to waste! You're nothing compared to me, you understand?"

It struck again. Pain erupted just below his chest; the impact had caused one of the metal blades embedded in the diamond plating to fully puncture it.

"I'm one of the three Usurpation leaders!"

Felix couldn't breathe. Red raised the block over his head. "And you will KNOW YOUR PLACE BEFORE YOU DIE!"

At the last second, a block of deepslate crashed into the Commandant, knocking him back into one of his soldiers. The squad all drew their weapons, but still didn't move from the tunnel. Felix crawled backwards, every movement causing him agony.

"I don't want to die, I don't want to die…"

A splash potion hit the ground beside him. Pink fumes seeped into his body, and he felt the pain fading. The chestplate was still dented, but he was at least able to remove the metal blades from it as his wounds healed.

"Get up, kid."

Varris was standing again. In one hand was another splash potion, in the other an odd golden object shaped like a villager. Its green eyes dimmed, and magic flowed into her from it.

"I-is that a totem of undying?" he asked, coughing as he shakily got to his feet.

"I've been holding onto it since the raid. Are you okay?"

He wasn't. His injuries had only half recovered thanks to the potion, and he was already getting tired. Despite the surprise attack, Red didn't look more than inconvenienced- he shoved the deepslate blocks aside and gathered his iron again.

"I don't think we can beat him… but there's nowhere to run, either…"

"Can you still fight?"

Felix held his axe close. "I…"

Varris scoffed. "Okay then. Do your best."

Felix wasn't sure what she meant, until he looked back to see her tearing chunks of deepslate out of the ceiling. She formed a stone platform, which she began to raise out of the cave.

"Running away? Leaving a child to cover your escape?" cackled Red.

"V-Varris…? What are you doing?" Was there some kind of plan she had to get the jump on the Usurpation?

"I'm surviving. I'll escape on my own… sorry, kid. Deal's off."

His heart jumped to his throat. Before the shock could even sink in, the sound of stone breaking came from within her makeshift tunnel. Varris only looked surprised for a second before something blue fell from the ceiling, tackling her to the floor. There was a struggle, then a grisly stabbing noise, then she went still. A purple Genesis Core appeared on the ground beside her body.

Felix backed up until he hit the side of the cave. The newcomer was a man he'd never seen before, with tanned skin and wearing a teal shirt and blue pants. He lacked armor, and only held a stone sword, which he drew from Varris' chest.

"That's for back in the raid," he said in a deep, but very smooth voice. "Ah… are you already dead? Too bad…"

"What? You're…"

For the first time, the Commandant sounded taken aback. He didn't move, but leaned forward as if peering at him from behind his helmet.

The man didn't pay them any mind. He picked up the dark Stone Core, then turned to Felix. For as shocking as his entrance was, his face looked very unassuming: dark blue eyes, a short brown beard, and a small smile. This person was clearly not a Usurpation soldier, and seemed perfectly normal by all accounts, but there was something about him that just seemed out of place.

Even more off-putting was the reaction he elicited in the Usurpers. The soldiers took a step back, giving each other quick glances. Red remained where he was, but his iron block separated into shards which surrounded him.

"Having some trouble?" the stranger asked Felix.

He couldn't put together a reply, and shakily clutched his axe. Was he there to rescue him? If TOEC had sent him down, shouldn't he have known Varris was on their side? Or, at least, she had been…

"So," said Red, "you've shown yourself at last. I've wanted to meet you in person for a very long time now."

The stranger cracked a grin. All of the Usurpation soldiers raised their swords.

"You recognize me, do you? I am quite well-known; I guess I should've expected someone would know what I look like."

"Our stories of you go back centuries," the Commandant spat. "All the way to the era of my ancestors, when you betrayed humanity."

That made him raise a brow. Felix didn't know what to make of any of it.

"Sorry, you might have me mistaken for someone else. I've been around for a long time, but not as long as you seem to think."

Red laughed. "You can't play the fool with me. I'm going to avenge everyone you turned your back on, so long ago. Your treacherous history ends today… Herobrine."

Felix once again couldn't process the revelation before another one took its place.

"I've heard that name before. Has a nice ring to it, I think. But that's not my name." He lazily twirled his sword, but there was a predatory glint in his eyes. "You can call me Steve."

"Like the Legendary Hero?" Felix thought, his heart racing. "He lived centuries ago; is this guy trying to imitate him?"

Red folded his arms with a sigh. "Whatever you're calling yourself, I'm going to kill you and take that Genesis Core. The boy, too. You're just obstacles for me to overcome."

'Steve' snickered, stowing the Stone Core in his inventory. He glanced at Felix with an expression that couldn't be placed, then reached out with his free hand and touched his chestplate. A sudden lightheadedness came over him, though from what he had no idea.

"Something's familiar… you've got a long life ahead of you, no? Stay out of trouble, boy."

The stranger's sword moved in a flash- right toward Felix's face. He had no time to react.

The undead had overwhelmed them.

Ray and Lime-2 were all that remained, backed up against one another and desperately slashing at the encroaching zombies. The three Inlanders had escaped, and with them the dark Bonemeal Core. Now he stood surrounded by bodies, those of monsters and his own agents alike, in the shade of the colossal tree.

"I-I'm sorry, Sir Ray…! I don't think I can fight for much longer!" Lime-2 panted.

He cut a zombie's head from its shoulders, but another one lunged for him and swiped across his arm. Ray hissed, stabbing at it in a frenzy.

"Just… just stay focused! I'll think of a way out of here, we can still escape!"

But he didn't believe it. He had no ideas, and barely any strength left. Not even his anger at the Inlanders was giving him the boost in motivation he needed.

Lime-2 gasped. Ray glanced back to see a pair of zombies had both landed hits on her chest with their rotten claws, breaking through the havenite armor she wore. Her sword hit the ground.

"Sir… please, escape…" she said, barely above a whisper. "It's been an honor…"

With every scrap of energy she must have had left, Lime-2 screamed and shoved the two zombies away, only to tackle into them and drag both down. Many of the other undead nearby lost interest in Ray, descending on the much easier prey which had just presented herself.

Injured, exhausted, and with no other options, the most he could do was take advantage of the brief diversion Lime-2 had given him. He had to run away- not escape, not retreat. Run away. He could hate himself for it later.

Once more, an agent's life had been sacrificed to give him a chance to live.

Once more, he'd heard it was an honor to serve with him.

Once more, he could do nothing but run away.

The Warden was turning to Ray again, its bloodlust unsated. He didn't have time to locate the spare blocks in his inventory, so his only recourse was to throw his grass coil toward the outcropping above. It lassoed around a stone block at the top, and he frantically tried to climb the side of the wall as the beast charged for him. Ray struggled to pull himself out of its reach, but the grass didn't have a very good hold. It was about to slip off- he was about to fall.

Yet he didn't. Something… or, rather, someone had stopped the grass coil from losing its grip.

Blake had his heels dug into the rocks, holding onto the lasso. With him keeping it steady, Ray was able to clamber onto the outcropping. The Warden's fist hit the wall where he'd been seconds prior, rattling the cave, but he didn't fall. He gasped for breath, sitting against the rocks as far from the edge as he could. Blake had fallen back as well, and was just a few blocks away. Neither said a word, the only noise being the Warden's furious bellows until it appeared to finally lose interest in them. It grumbled and stomped off deeper into the cavern, presumably to hunt other mobs. Ray didn't dare speak until its heavy footsteps faded from earshot.

"You saved me just now."

Blake removed an arrow from his thigh with a wince, then scarfed down a bite of steak while his wound closed. "I did."

He didn't quite sound like he believed it. Ray didn't either.

"I'm… not really sure why I did," Blake continued. "Something just came over me."

Ray scowled. "Do you think this makes us friends? That I'll suddenly forget what you-"

He paused. Some part of him still yearned for revenge, to strike him down while he was least expecting it and bring justice for the deaths of Lime Squad. But he couldn't muster the resolve to do it after Blake had saved his life. He just felt… confused.

"I'm sorry you lost your friends- they were your friends, right? You wouldn't have chased us so much if it was just for the Genesis Core."

"That little stunt you pulled under the tree got them all killed," he grumbled.

Blake sighed. "And I wish it didn't have to come to that. But you guys didn't give me much of a choice."

Why couldn't he have just handed over the Bonemeal Core? Ray would have let him go; he was no threat at the time. He'd made things difficult, and now more Usurpation soldiers were dying every time their paths crossed. Yet here Blake was, having saved his life when dropping Ray to the Warden's mercy would have been easier. What was he supposed to make of that?

"I guess, when I saw what happened to your friend down there... well, I'm sure there are people out there who deserve a fate like that," Blake said. "But you're not one of them, I think. You really care about the people fighting with you."

Ray was silent. Blake donned his diamond leggings and boots again, drawing a pickaxe. He turned to inspect the wall.

"What is it you want from me, Ray? A duel? Because we can fight if you really need that kind of closure, but I'd rather not. I just want to find my friends and get out of here."

"You're going to try and dig your way around the tunnel, aren't you?" Ray asked him, standing up and gathering his grass coil. "Go on, then. This time I owe you the chance to escape."

Blake nodded, tapping the wall with his pickaxe. "Thanks, I guess-"

"But," Ray interrupted, "next time we meet, if you get in the way again I'm not going to hold back. And I can't guarantee you'll escape the Commandant's notice, or the Ender Forge's."

"I understand."

With that, Blake dug into the stone and was gone. How he could navigate in such a place, Ray had no idea. Where he'd go was a similar mystery, but one he decided wasn't worth considering at the moment. He just needed to leave.

Ray couldn't see Samuel's body in the darkness. He'd have to go without laying yet another fellow in arms to rest.

"Rest easy… I will continue my work in your memory."

As he began to build his way across to the tunnel, Esme and Tara reappeared on the ledge.

"We heard everything get quiet. What happened?" Tara asked, peering into the chasm.

He reached them and pulled up his hood. His mask may have been lost in the fall, but at least he still had that. "I escaped the Warden. Lime-3 didn't make it."

Esme stifled a gasp. Tara just frowned.

"If the Inlanders were down there, I couldn't find them," he continued. "We should return to the Commandant now. It's not worth staying here anymore."

Ray didn't wait for a response, and just walked past them. There was a pillar of cobblestone blocks in the tunnel, reaching to the ceiling, which hadn't been there before. The sight confused him, but by then he didn't care to investigate anymore. He wanted to put as much distance between himself and the Warden as possible- and to try and forget the conversation he'd just had.