Chapter 28: What Next?

"Don't-!"

Felix sat up with a gasp.

"Wait… what?"

He was on a bed in a darkened room- specifically, the room he'd slept in the night before. Nobody else was around, and everything was calm save for his pounding heart. The clock showed it was just past noon.

"How'd I get back here? Did I oversleep? That wasn't all a dream, was it?"

There wasn't any pain from his injuries. In fact, he didn't seem hurt at all, even his clothing was in perfect condition. But it couldn't have just been a dream, because his inventory was empty. No armor, no weapons, and not even his notebook or other supplies remained. The one thing he did still have was the Diamond Core- he could feel it pulsing in his chest.

"What just happened…?"

Felix stumbled out of the bed, his head still spinning, and opened the door. He was greeted by a very surprised Langdon and a pair of TOEC security guards inspecting the suite.

"Huh?" one of the guards yelped. "Where'd you come from? We thought that room was empty."

His mouth flapped uselessly as he tried to think of an answer. Langdon frowned. "Do you know where the Countess is? Nobody can find her or Miss Beryl in the city."

Any explanation he could think of would sound crazy, especially once it came to how he'd wound up in the bedroom again. He had no idea what he was supposed to say. Fortunately, someone entered the suite before he could begin to look suspicious- unfortunately, it was the very last person Felix wanted to see.

"Did you find anything, Langdon?"

Benedict was back in his suit and tie, the Ender Forge robe nowhere to be seen. When his eyes met Felix's, he raised a brow.

"This kid's the only one here," Langdon reported, "but I'm not sure where he came from. We checked the rooms before, and nobody was there. Then he just comes out all of a sudden."

Felix clenched his fists and shot him a glare. If Benedict was bothered, he didn't show it. When he spoke again, his voice was calm as could be. "You're coming with us. If you're here, and the rest have gone missing, then we have a few questions for you."

"I'm sure you do…" Felix muttered.

Without any tools, he didn't have a choice but to keep quiet and follow them outside. TOEC security forces were everywhere now, blocking off mine shafts and questioning other staff.

"Benedict! Langdon!" Andrew Beryl was approaching, accompanied by more guards. He looked even more frazzled than he had earlier. "No signs of Melissa or the Countess?" he asked, in an almost pleading tone.

Felix saw Benedict's face twitch. He was hiding a smile. "None, sir. Your daughter was last seen heading for suite A1, and the only person we found there was this young man."

Andrew looked at him. Felix met his eyes, still not sure what he was supposed to say.

"Dad!"

Everyone's attention snapped to Melissa's voice, coming from a spot in the middle of the second sector. She pulled herself out of a hole in the ground, covered in dirt but seemingly unharmed. Celia emerged behind her, and Felix noticed with some concern that she'd lost quite a bit of her Netherite armor. But the biggest surprise came a moment later, when two other people in dusty rags came out after them. He'd never met the newcomers, but based on Andrew's gasp he could guess who they were. Before he could rush to his family, however, Melissa stepped forward with a glare and pointed at Benedict.

"The Usurpation didn't kidnap Mom and Galen. It was him. The Ender Forge is still active, and he's a part of it!"

Dead silence. All present turned to Benedict, who didn't show any reaction to the accusation. "Come now. I've served TOEC faithfully for years, Miss Beryl. You must be mistaken."

"Do you think I'm not going to trust my own family, Benedict?" Andrew's tone was frigid. The air of relief among the TOEC staff had very quickly changed to one of tension, dozens of eyes locked on the traitor.

Benedict sighed, rubbing his forehead. "No… but I do think you should pay better attention to your employees, sir."

All around them, the guards standing by the mines drew iron swords and axes. A few people perched atop the roofs of nearby buildings pointed bows toward the group, and one man on the ground even built a pair of iron golems which stared menacingly toward Andrew. Langdon pushed Felix behind him, equipping a sword. They, Celia, the Beryls, and a small squad of loyal TOEC guards were surrounded.

"It took a while to get our people into the company!" Benedict said, gesturing to the disguised Ender Forge fighters. "But it's paid off, I'd say."

"How could you join them?" hissed Daphne, still behind Celia and Melissa. "After everything they've done in the past…!"

Benedict cackled. "In my dreams, I received a vision. The Banished King spoke to me, spoke to each of us… we're destined for greater things than a mining company, Beryl! We're destined for conquest!"

His even-tempered façade had disappeared, and he was spouting nonsense as far as Felix knew. He'd never heard of a Banished King, let alone one who could commune with people through their dreams.

"And with the Usurpation Army's assistance… I don't think we need a puppet CEO anymore. Tenebyss will be ours! Kill them, Ender Forge!"

Esme trailed behind Ray and Tara, desperately trying to think of anything she could do. She suspected something more than the death of Samuel had transpired in the chasm- Ray wasn't just saddened, but visibly uncomfortable with… she wasn't sure what. All she knew was it couldn't have been crucial to their mission, otherwise he might have said something. Was it distrust for the supposed allies who'd abandoned them when the Warden appeared? Esme couldn't blame him in that case.

"I know they could help us overthrow the Inlanders, but… they just make me feel really uneasy. What do the Commandants see in them?"

Would she dare ask? Was it her place to question their leaders, if cooperation with the Ender Forge offered that much of an advantage? She had no misgivings about the Usurpation's cause- after all, the Inlanders needed to be supplanted to give those struggling in the wastes better lives- but the people with the screaming masks didn't strike her as having as noble of a motivation.

They didn't find the Ender Forge grunts within the tunnel, not even when they returned to the strip mine from where they'd split up. None of the Inlanders were present either, but Red Squad was there, as was the Commandant. Esme had heard Red's vanguards were among the best trained in the Usurpation, but as they regrouped she realized not a single one of them wasn't nursing some injury, or didn't have at least a few scars and dents in their armor. While the Commandant himself didn't appear injured, his helmet sported a very long scratch in the havenite plating.

"Sir. We found no Inlanders," Ray told him. "They must have slipped away into the caves."

"Including the Countess? No matter, Sir Ray, we won't be wasting any more time chasing her down. There are other things to attend to. Where is Lime-3?"

"Dead, sir. A creature the Ender Forge called a Warden overpowered us and killed him- the Enders themselves fled without helping us. I assume full responsibility for his death."

The Commandant appeared to only be half listening. When Ray finished delivering his brief report, Red didn't acknowledge the loss whatsoever, and withdrew a purple Genesis Core from his inventory.

"Our operation here is a success, I suppose. The Diamond Core seems to have gone missing, but I was able to secure the Stone Core. We'll be returning to Incursia soon."

Esme wasn't feeling the elation of a job well done. She just felt sad, and tired.

"If I may ask, sir, which of the Inlanders damaged your armor?"

She and Ray whirled on Tara just as the words came out. Unprofessional as it might have been, the last thing either of them wanted was for Commandant Red, who already sounded unimpressed with their squad, to become irritated. But he answered before they could say anything to her.

"We encountered the witch and the young man Sir Ray described in his report, the one with yellow hair. Neither proved much of a challenge, but there was somebody else present. It was some ruffian in blue- he killed both of them, in fact."

"I saw an unidentified Genesis Core headed your way, Commandant," Esme said. "Perhaps he had it. Did he escape?"

Red paused, staring at the one he held. His troopers were all looking at him, and had gone deathly still. Esme felt her skin crawl, but from what she didn't know.

"That's the odd part, Dame Esme. When the boy died, his body disappeared and left behind only a pile of items. The Diamond Core vanished with him, to parts unknown. The stranger took the Stone Core before us, but he didn't bind it to himself, and even without its help, he put up… more of a fight than I expected." He looked at the various injuries and broken bits of armor his troopers were tending to before continuing. "Of course, I was able to kill him. His body disappeared as well, and his inventory was dropped along with a pair of dark Genesis Cores. The Stone Core remained behind, but the unidentified one was lost like the Diamond Core."

Baffled by his story, Esme checked the tracker, half-expecting the two missing Cores to have apparently stopped existing. That wasn't the case, however. "Their coordinates are somewhere above us, within Tenebyss. We may be able to retrieve them, sir."

Red paused. Surely he must have been wondering how they got back up there- Esme certainly was- but when he answered he didn't question the logic. "We've done enough running around the Ender Forge's territory, and I think taking more risks won't be to our benefit. They get to scamper after their targets now. Once they've had their fun, their representatives will be accompanying us back to Incursia to plan the next stage of the war. Take a breather while you can; we'll be on the move as soon as they join us."

With that, he walked away to check on his squad. Esme, Ray, and Tara looked at one another, countless unspoken questions being passed between them. Chiefly, Esme wondered what exactly they'd achieved by accompanying the Commandant. They hadn't captured any Inlanders, they were only of tangential help in securing a Genesis Core (which wasn't even the one they'd come for), and the alliance with the Ender Forge had little to do with their efforts. She didn't feel any more confident as a leader, either. What was the point?

"By the way!"

Red was approaching them again. He dropped a pile of items at their feet: some diamonds, pieces of armor, weapons, foodstuffs, and other assorted things.

"These were the dropped objects I mentioned. Feel free to take what you like; you've earned that much."

"This is our reward?" Tara whispered once he'd gone back out of earshot. "Our picking of the scraps from his victory?"

"Best not to question it. I'm not sure where we stand with him as it is," said Ray.

They set about dividing up whatever seemed useful. The armor was too damaged to be worth much, so they left it behind and instead each took some of the diamonds and food Red had brought back. Tara claimed the axe, in very good condition by the looks of it, while Ray picked up a bow and a few arrows.

"Do you know how to shoot?" Esme asked him.

"It sounds easy enough."

She smirked. "That's a no, then. Maybe you'll have time to get some practice in when we return."

"Lime-2. What do you make of this?"

Esme took a leather-bound notebook with a weathered spine from Tara. She'd taken some time to learn the Inlanders' written language, so she could read the name on the front: 'Felix Silverhand.'

"He was that boy Ray and Tara were hunting, wasn't he?"

Every page was covered in diagrams and notes, with topics from item crafting to architectural styles and plans. The back of the book was dedicated to schematics for redstone contraptions, and the endless crossed-out notes suggested many revisions had been made to the ideas. Most of them weren't for tools of war, either: the majority were meant for quality of life improvements. Automated farming, machines which could fly, and so on. Esme didn't realize how fascinated she'd become in it all until Tara repeated her question, snapping her out of the trance.

"It's a bunch of blueprints for machines and buildings. I've never seen techniques like this, not even among some of the higher-ups in the Industrial Division. Felix Silverhand must've spent a lot of time thinking these ideas over."

A sobering realization came to mind.

"He's dead now… and we're sifting through his belongings like scavengers in the wasteland again."

He was an enemy; Esme shouldn't have mourned him. But holding the book he'd put so much passion into like a trophy gave her a sick feeling in her stomach. She put it away in her inventory, silently promising to show it the care it deserved. Felix may have been an Inlander, but she couldn't just let his talents be forgotten- perhaps once the war was over, his ideas could be used to improve the Usurpation's society.

"The rest of us wouldn't approve of that kind of thinking… guess it'll have to be my little secret for now."

But the thought only provided some comfort. She didn't know what was next for them, or what the alliance with the Ender Forge would bring. So many Far Landers had died already- would she be among the survivors by the end?

"And… does the Commandant care either way?"

By the time Blake reached the lower sector of Tenebyss, his pickaxe had broken and he'd been forced to punch through the last few layers of stone. Tunneling and towering his way upward hadn't been a quick process, but he'd gotten through safely. He hoped nobody in the city would panic at him suddenly emerging from the ground, and that turned out to be true- only because TOEC's district was in utter pandemonium.

A fight had broken out. Archers, swordsmen, axemen, and even a few iron golems were surrounding a group in the middle of town. The combatants all wore TOEC uniforms, which was encouraging until he realized their targets were dressed the same way. Blake spotted Benedict among the aggressors, and his friends among the defenders, protecting Andrew and Melissa. He put two and two together quickly.

"Benedict's got some help… no Usurpers here, though. Are they all Ender Forge members?"

Blake could see Felix in the crowd, completely unarmored, but Varris was missing. He didn't have time to question where the absentees were; he needed to help his friends. His armor and sword were still in decent condition, and none of the Ender Forge had spotted him surfacing, but he was just one man. Even if he had a Genesis Core, he wouldn't be able to turn the tide alone.

"Maybe I can dig a tunnel under them like I did with Celia? Or try and pick a few off from the side? Urk, can I really kill a person, though…?"

He shook his head. There would be time to wrestle with that thought once his friends were safe- if it was kill or be killed, he wouldn't hold back.

An arrow sailed overhead, striking one of the archers on the roof. He fell over with a scream and landed in a heap on the street below. Blake winced at the sight, but when he turned to see where the shot came from he felt a sweeping sense of relief. Another squad of TOEC security had fought their way past the impostors, and accompanying them were about a dozen people in mixed iron and diamond armor. Blake recognized a few of them: they were the ones who'd helped them escape the village on the island, the Netherrack Network. Ember was at the front, wielding a bow, and he ran toward Blake with a wave when they saw each other.

"Hey! Good to see you again!" Ember said when he approached, alongside a few other Network fighters. "Is Countess Celia here?"

Blake pointed to the melee, where between the countless black suits he could occasionally spot her white dress darting in and out of combat. Benedict had taken notice of the newcomers and shouted something to his associates. Several on the periphery of the fight began to retreat into the mines.

"She's up there, so is the TOEC boss. Looks like you guys showed up in the nick of time."

Ember nodded and drew an iron blade. "We'll clear an opening for everyone to escape. Blaze, Scorch, with me! The rest of you flank around their right!"

"Enough with the codenames, Jason!" one of his cohorts groaned.

"Fine, fine! Let's just get to them already!"

Blake tagged along as well. The Ender Forge grunts on their side, realizing they were about to be caught between two enemy forces as the Netherrack Network charged, scattered and regrouped around Benedict. Celia, Felix, and the Beryls (including two strangers who Blake assumed were the missing members of the family), took the chance to get clear of the fighting, joining up with him and Ember.

"There you are!" Celia told him, holding a hand against her cheek. She sported a nasty-looking cut, but wasn't focusing on it. "I was worried you'd gotten lost with the Warden."

"Something like that, I can tell you more later. What's the plan? And where's Varris?"

Everyone looked at Felix, who just shook his head with his eyes shut. "Dead. Too complicated to explain it right now. I still have the purple Diamond Core, but I think the Usurpation got her Stone Core."

Blake stiffened. He hadn't particularly liked Varris, but learning of her fate still didn't feel good. The expression on Felix's face wasn't exactly sad, though. He couldn't tell what it was. But there would be time to ask him later.

"Mr. Beryl! You need to get out of here!" Langdon approached, breathing heavily.

"Benedict and his gang are falling back into the mines, but we think they're just trying to draw us into a trap. I can escort you and your family to safety above ground."

Andrew stood firm. "I will not leave. If Benedict thinks he can scare me into abandoning TOEC, and leaving Tenebyss alone with the Ender Forge again, he's got another thing coming." He turned to Celia, who Blake had just handed a pork chop to heal herself. Felix and Melissa weren't injured, but neither had weapons or armor. "I'm sorry, Countess. I can't thank you enough for finding my family, but we won't be able to do much for Luxmouth until we have control of the mines again," said Andrew.

She nodded, then looked at the Netherrack Network. "I understand. We'll find another way to supply our armies… excuse me, Ember? What are you doing here?"

"We were late, but we accepted your invitation to Luxmouth," he explained. "By the time we arrived you'd already left, and we heard you were coming this way. Gwen's not here, but she told us to pass on a message to TOEC."

He pulled out a large map, showing not just Tenebyss but also the surrounding territories. Blake spotted Luxmouth to the northwest, just beside the ocean they'd crossed weeks ago. Ember pointed to an orange region in the northeast, labeled 'Great Badlands.' A black X was drawn in the middle of it.

"The Usurpation's built a city here, called Incursia. Gwen's been trying to gather a force to storm it, ideally two weeks from now."

Ember tapped on a desert beside the badlands, with the foreboding name of 'Scorched Sands.' A few villages were marked on the map, around a small body of water in the middle, but otherwise the desert was bare of civilization. Blake figured it would be a good staging point for her plan, if the Usurpation wasn't interested in the area.

"She said if anyone's able to join in, then you should meet her at the Scorched Oasis. Iron Garrison will be sending fighters to Incursia from the north, and Luxmouth and Spruce Roost are attacking from the west. Gwen's going to be attacking from the east, then. Most of the Network is tied up with smuggling supplies and information, so we won't be able to join her- if anyone here can, she could really use the help."

"Our security guards aren't soldiers," Daphne said. "We can't send them to fight a war; we don't have the numbers."

Galen stepped forth, and pointed to a spot on the map. East of Tenebyss, the lower right corner of the map ended in an enormous dark oak forest, with a very appropriate name. "There is one other place we can ask for help. It's a small village called Teras, hidden in the Dark Acres."

Blake saw Celia and Felix go a shade paler.

"A-are you sure that's wise?" Celia asked. "I've heard Illagers roam those woods in great numbers."

Ember scratched his head. "I don't think I've ever heard of this place before. Are the residents trustworthy?"

Galen hesitated before answering. "The town is pretty out of the way in the woods, so the Illagers can just be avoided. I've met the people there before, too. They're a little… odd, but they don't seem suspicious to me. If we can give them supplies to gear up, I bet they'd be able to help us."

Blake wasn't feeling entirely confident in his proposal, but it wasn't like he had any other ideas.

"We don't have many options left," said Andrew. "In that case, I'll arrange for a messenger to find them."

Melissa raised a hand. "Leave that to me! I'll go out and meet them myself." The rest of the Beryls stared at her in shock. She gave none of them a chance to protest. "I haven't been able to contribute to the war effort. If you say you know them, Galen, I'll head to Teras on your behalf and ask for their help."

Blake had a feeling he knew where this was going even before Celia replied.

"I cannot let you put yourself in danger alone like this. I will come too, to keep you safe."

Everyone was quiet, and Melissa had a tiny smirk for the briefest of moments. When Celia realized all eyes were suddenly on her, she flushed and stammered out another point. "B-besides! If Teras is going to be asked to join our alliance, I-I should be there too, no?"

She was no actress, and Blake felt he could take a stab at what she really felt for Melissa. It wasn't much of a mystery.

Still trying to compose herself with a clear of her throat, she looked at him and Felix. "You two have done so much for me already. If you do not wish to come any further, I completely understand."

"Hey," Blake said, "what'd I tell you back in Luxmouth? You're stuck with me the rest of the way."

"I'll fight for you as long as it takes," Felix added.

Celia smiled at them both. Blake figured he was technically a citizen of Luxmouth now, lacking any other home, but service to the city wasn't his motivation. Some selfish part of him still craved the company, still wanted to travel with his new friends even if a war was raging.

"Just the four of you?" Daphne asked.

"You sure you don't need a bigger escort?" added Langdon.

Melissa looked at them, then to Galen and her father. Blake saw her eyes flick toward Celia, too. "The Ender Forge and the Usurpation are still a threat here. Leave Teras to us; you should focus on fighting off our enemies."

Andrew grinned. "Where's this adventurous side coming from all of a sudden? Fine, I'll trust you to get it done. But you'd better come back to us safely, okay?"

"Look for a girl about your age there, named Cupa. As far as I understand it, she's their leader," Galen explained.

"About our age, leading the whole town?" Blake thought. "Either she's a genius, or we're about to find a VERY weird community."

Whatever the case, their next goal was decided. Ember and the Netherrack Network escorted them to the upper sector, where a crowd of very confused townspeople were gathered, and provided the group with stacks of iron ingots and a few diamonds.

"Sorry we can't spare more," Ember told them. "Times are hard."

Celia opened the shulker box and handed him five of their emerald blocks. "There will be more compensation for you once this is all over, and I'll thank Gwendolyn personally if I meet her. If any of your members can return to Luxmouth, would you please inform the Duke I will be gone longer than expected?"

Andrew blinked. "You're not thinking of going to the Scorched Sands to fight the Usurpation head on, are you?"

"Who can say at this point? If negotiations with Teras go well, we may be in a good position to join the fight ourselves. I'd just like to keep our options open."

With that, the four of them were brought all the way to the tunnel they'd entered from. The afternoon sunlight made everyone squint; even though the group from Luxmouth had only been there for one night, their eyes had gotten accustomed to the darkness quickly.

"The Dark Acres are to the east," Celia announced. "On foot, it will take us a few days to get there."

"I'm sorry to say we have no horses. But I'll be sure to pull my weight while traveling with you all- thank you for escorting me." Melissa, with a new objective in mind, had regained her professional stoicism. Blake was impressed how quickly she could change her approach; it reminded him of watching Emily discuss business in the shop. She and Celia walked together at the front as they set off, making idle chatter.

But the mention of traveling on foot made him think of what happened to their horses the night before. His heart sank again, wishing he could have done something to save them, or even to stop the perpetrator from escaping. Had it been an Ender Forge member, trying to make it harder for them to flee? A common bandit wouldn't have killed their horses for no reason; what was the stranger's motive?

That, in turn, brought his mind back to Felix. He still looked shaken up after their narrow escape, and the only items he carried were those the Network had just given them. Blake was about to ask what had happened, but Melissa beat him to the punch. "Felix? Where did your equipment go? Did the Commandant take it from you after he… ahem, killed the witch you arrived with?"

Blake and the others looked at him intently. His eyes were on the ground. "…he didn't kill Varris. It was someone else."

That piqued their interest further. Felix finally brought his gaze to meet theirs, and spoke again. "This will sound crazy, but I think the Legendary Heroes are still alive. Or, at least, Steve is."

It did sound crazy, at least to Blake. But he knew Felix wasn't the type to jump to conclusions. "What makes you say that?"

Felix's voice wavered when he answered. "Because I ran into someone calling himself Steve in the mines. He killed Varris. And… I think he killed me, too."

End of Part Four