Chapter 31: Uncertainty

"Right this way, humans! We're just about there."

"…uh… aren't you a human too, Cupa?" asked Blake.

"Guess you're right! But you all seem a little… different, just like I'm probably different to you."

There was little argument to that. As Cupa led on, Celia still didn't have a clue what to make of her. She admitted to being- or having been- a creeper, one of the most notorious mobs to prowl the land. Yet she'd so far kept her word about not being a threat. If she really wanted to attack them, the opportunity had certainly presented itself, but she and the rest of the Teras scouts remained docile.

"I can hardly blame them for just wanting to be accepted by us. But I'm still a bit disoriented by all of this…"

Even looking beyond Cupa's (frankly unbelievable) origins, Galen was right: she was a very odd girl indeed. She seemed cheery and outgoing enough, and her status among the Terasi was a sort of nobility, but everything else about her was uncanny. The gentle sway to her walk, the short but distinct hiss in her voice whenever she made an "s" sound, and the utter bluntness of her tone made it impossible for Celia to approach her comfortably. She didn't even want to inquire more about Cupa's old life as a creeper, for fear of offending her. Hopefully her fathers would be easier to speak with, when the time came.

Fathers, plural. Celia had rolled the word around in her head since it was first mentioned, and hearing it made her feel a little more confident about the upcoming negotiations. Practically speaking, it had no bearing on the situation whatsoever, but even the prospect of speaking with two former creepers didn't seem so bad if she and they had something in common already.

She snuck a glance at Melissa. Celia wasn't quite sure how to define their relationship, but knowing her feelings were reciprocated was comforting. Part of her hated that their only chance to spend much time together had come during a war, and another part was overjoyed such a chance had come.

"I've heard relationships can be complicated… but are they meant to be THIS complicated?"

"Most of the village is underground," she heard Cupa saying. "The Illagers don't think to dig for us, so we've stayed out of their sight.

"Is it one big hole, or do you have smaller crevices for different homes and rooms?" replied Felix.

"Smaller ones. We connect 'em all with little tunnels through the dirt. There isn't really a plan for which room does what."

"I see… if there's time, I'd like to see how your town is laid out. Would you mind showing us around?"

Cupa giggled. "You'll all be meeting the chiefs, so a tour's sort of natural. And it's just a bunch of dirt, not much to get excited about."

"I know," Felix said, "but your description sounds really interesting. I'm hoping I can learn how it all works."

Celia listened to him speak, and wondered just who this person was. She recalled Felix always being on the formal side when they were children, but he'd never been too serious. They'd drifted apart after she turned eleven, their time together becoming scarcer as noble obligations took up most of her days. When Celia enlisted his help to sneak out of Luxmouth, he was quieter, more reserved. From their exfiltration to Blake joining them to their harrowing escape to the journey to Tenebyss, some part of her reluctantly observed that her enthusiastic and imaginative friend was gone.

Now… well, he was still formal, never letting too much excitement show. But she could hear the lighter tone in his voice and could see the glint of inspiration in his eyes. He was even making the occasional gesture with his hands, like he was trying to visualize how he'd build or dig a new section to an underground home. Despite everything, he seemed almost to be enjoying himself in that moment.

"What do you have in mind, Felix?" she asked him, smiling at the enthusiasm. "Could your talents help the town?"

When he looked back at her, the flicker of vitality all but vanished. Felix awkwardly cleared his throat and scratched his head. "I… wouldn't want to impose on them, Lady Celia. I don't think it'd be my place to tell them how to design their town."

"You know a thing or two about building?" Cupa asked. "I think we could use some help there, 'cause most of us don't have much talent in it."

He just chuckled bashfully at the remark before the two continued their idle chat. Celia had to force her smile not to falter as she recognized the problem eating away at her mind. Even in some small way, the Felix she'd once known had returned. But not for her.

It was around midday when Cupa's band came to a stop beside a dark oak tree, seemingly identical to every other one in the forest. She knelt at its base and knocked the trunk with her bare hand six times in quick succession, not enough to break the log block but enough for the sound to be heard. The dirt beside the tree rustled and broke apart a few seconds later, revealing a hole in the ground. A very young boy with a pale green face and soft-looking hair of the same color poked his head up to greet them.

Cupa frowned. "Jels? It's Spike's turn to keep watch today."

"He's in the pile with Mindy. They're buildin' somethin', and they said I had to be the lookout."

"I'll have to talk to him about that. Clear the way down there, we've got guests!"

Jels nodded and disappeared back into the hole, though not before giving a very long, very hard stare at Celia and her party. Slimes were uncommon on the surface, but even she could see his similarities to one of the gelatinous creatures. What really surprised her about him was his age: he couldn't have been more than six years old, and there he was acting like a sentry for the Terasi. Just what sort of state was the town in for a child to have such a job?

"Be careful on the way inside," Cupa said. "It's not a long drop, but it's a little cramped."

With that, she hopped down the hole after Jels. Celia peered inside to see it was only four blocks deep, then followed suit. She landed in a tunnel just barely wide enough to fit the average person, and with only a few torches to be seen. If ever she suspected she was about to enter a mob den, it was in that moment.

"Better to keep that thought to myself… it might offend them."

Jels had gone further ahead, but was still watching the rest of the group file in behind Celia. He rounded a corner when Cupa told him to inform the chiefs of their return.

"I'll have to see what Spike's doing once we get stuff taken care of with you guys," she remarked once everyone else had entered and the hole was sealed behind them. "Maxil, can you keep watch for a bit?"

One of the former skeletons nodded and slipped through another narrow passage, disappearing somewhere into the dirt around them. With that, Cupa continued to walk, and the rest of the party followed her into Teras proper. Celia's view on the residents had zigzagged between confusion and uncertainty that whole morning, but as she finally got a look at their home, her heart instantly broke.

It wasn't a village. It wasn't even a slum. Cupa's description of dirt caverns connected by small tunnels somehow overstated the place. Claustrophobic and scarcely lit, the town brought back memories of the underwater hole Celia had hidden from Tara within, right down to the dank, stuffy air. The entryway led them to a circular chamber with more block-wide tunnels branching away from it, devoid of any features save for an enormous pile of assorted junk: even more dirt cubes, some wood and cobblestone, sticks, cobwebs, charcoal, and so on. More small children rummaged through the scrap, pulling out old bits of bread or apples.

"Hey, kids! We've got fresher stuff for ya," said Cupa.

Her cohorts began to distribute armfuls of raw meat and vegetables- presumably the day's harvest- among the eager children. A few older residents peered from the other tunnels, clearly hoping for food but too wary of the newcomers to approach. Like the scouts, many of them looked undernourished and frail, dressed in little more than wool rags.

Celia took in the dismal sights and sounds, so far removed from the luxury she'd known in Luxmouth, and realized there was absolutely no way she could ask the people of Teras to fight in the war.

Ray was sick of the Nether.

The group had been traveling for three whole days, only sparingly making camp in the least uncomfortable rocky crags they could find. Or was it four days? He'd lost track; there was no daylight and it wasn't like any of them could get a proper rest without beds. Their Ender Forge allies and even a few of the Red Squad troopers were looking tired from the march, to say nothing of Ray and his team. But he didn't dare suggest returning to the Inlands to give everyone a much-needed breather, not when he suspected more than ever that Commandant Red was unsubtly punishing him for his lackluster performance in Tenebyss.

Maybe it was because he hadn't said a word to Ray, Tara, or Esme unless to bark an order. Maybe it was because the three were being relied on more and more to guard the rear when traveling, where opportunistic creatures of the Nether often tried to sneak in an attack at the party. Or maybe it was because on that third or fourth day, while the others had set up another camp for a quick break, Ray's team was instructed to keep watch on the perimeter. If there was any silver lining, at least they didn't need to socialize with the Ender Forge.

The netherrack block he leaned against was the only thing keeping him upright- his legs had threatened to give out on him for hours now, and it was only a matter of time before they made good on it. He'd overheard Red telling Benedict they would be reaching Incursia soon, and could only hope he would even be able to walk the rest of the way.

"Am I supposed to feel like I deserve this? I know we failed to do much of anything in Tenebyss, but this just seems wrong to me."

They'd failed to contribute in a mission where they hadn't even been given most of the details. Nobody had said anything about meeting with prospective allies, or about a beast in the deep caves. What Lime Squad had been told was to pursue Countess Celia just before they split up, while Red went after the Diamond Core himself. And the more Ray thought about it, the more he wondered what good it really would have done if she'd been captured. Luxmouth didn't even have the Bonemeal Cores anymore; would the entire city have surrendered for her sake alone?

He took a sip from his last water bottle. His head hurt, whether from exhaustion, dehydration, or confusion. Ray didn't even feel the vitriol against Blake which had motivated him for weeks anymore… what was the matter with him?

The last drop of water he had met his lips. Things just kept getting better.

"Here. You can have this one."

Tara was at his side, offering him a full bottle. Ray raised a brow at her, but accepted it nonetheless and took the smallest drink he possibly could. "Thank you. Are you sure you have enough to last?"

"I still have one left, and so does Esme. We took the time to refill before entering the Nether. Her Genesis Core proved useful."

Her eyes had returned to their normal pale color by then, and in them he could see just how tired she looked.

"…another thing, Sir Ray. I… uh… I never thanked you."

He had to be hallucinating now. Where did this come from? Her stony exterior was gone altogether, and the waver in her voice almost sounded pitiful.

"Thanked me for what?"

She flinched. "For rescuing me, back in Luxmouth. You could have left me behind, and I might have even deserved it after I accidentally killed Marshal Orion. But… you didn't. Thank you." Ray didn't know how to reply. She shook her head and turned away from him. "I just wanted to say it, that's all."

Then she was walking away, to monitor another featureless corner of the netherrack cave. Esme approached him next with her mask and hood both off.

"Take a look at this," she said.

She showed him the notebook she'd taken from Red. It was opened to a diagram of a Usurpation sea transport, specifically of Lime Squad's stolen one. He had a basic grasp of the Inlanders' written language, but the technical jargon flew well over his head.

"I've been looking this over whenever I have the chance. It seems Felix was trying to figure out how our carriers were able to move, but he didn't know what redstone engines were."

Ray frowned. He knew very little about engineering, but redstone engines were simple enough that even he could figure them out. They were self-powering and gave off no exhaust, which made them ideal for use in sea travel with small vehicles. Ground transports, as he'd heard, were still a work in progress, but surely they wouldn't take long to develop.

"Really? How did he think they worked?"

Esme flipped to the next page, on which a mess of pistons had been drawn along with some other redstone contraptions he didn't recognize.

"Apparently, Inlanders can use pistons like we use engines. They have to be on a much larger scale, though, because it seems he couldn't figure out how a troop carrier could be steered so well with them."

Ray squinted at one of the diagrams in the corner. A device made of slime blocks and pistons was drawn hovering well above the ground.

"Is that thing flying?"

"I think it's just a concept, but one he came close to working out a prototype for. That's impressive, not even we have anything like it."

"He must have been smart," Ray thought. "If he weren't an Inlander, maybe he could've helped us with some of his ideas."

But it didn't matter now that he was dead; whatever talent he had might have had to offer was gone with him. Ray looked at the page again, still not quite grasping his expertise but certainly appreciating it, and wondering if there might have been more to the timid-looking young man than he'd realized.

"Just like there was more to Blake… where is he, anyway? Did he escape? Does he know his friend is…"

He stiffened. What was he thinking? He couldn't empathize with an Inlander, it went against everything the Usurpation stood for!

"By the way, what was that about with Tara?"

Esme brought Ray back to the present, only for him to realize he didn't have much of an answer. He stared uselessly at her, his thoughts scattered in too many directions.

"I'm… not sure," he mumbled. He didn't think he knew what anything was about anymore.

Blake's first impression had been right: nothing about Teras or its people struck him as ready to fight with them. Dragging the town into the mix would end disastrously, and while he still had more than a few suspicions about the former mobs, he wasn't about to invite them all to their deaths at the hands of the Usurpation. He didn't think it would be hard to convince Celia to see his point, either. Quite the contrary, even in the dim lighting he could see how appalled she was at their living conditions.

"This is the pile," Cupa explained, pointing at the heap of random things on the floor. "We stash everything here."

"No chests?" asked Melissa. "What about your inventories?"

That just earned her odd looks from the surrounding Terasi. It occurred to Blake they might not even have had inventories as former mobs. However convincing the humanoid bodies were, they must not have been perfect.

"The poor people… they need way more help than they can offer us."

His heart ached for them, but he wasn't sure what exactly he and his friends could do. The meetup with Gwendolyn was a week and a half away, and if the map Ember showed them was any indication it would take them days just to reach the edge of the Scorched Sands. They couldn't afford to stick around too long.

"But if we leave as we are, with no reinforcements, how are we gonna contribute to the attack? Is there ANY winning in this scenario?"

Cupa must have been able to read their reactions, because she smiled apologetically at them. "Like I said, we don't have a lot to offer you here… but there is the dirt ball, I guess."

Blake raised a brow. "What dirt ball?"

"It's this smooth purple thing we stole from the Illagers when the first of us escaped their hideout," Cupa said, gesturing down one of the tunnels to their right. "None of us really know what it is, but it can move dirt blocks around pretty easily if you hold it right. We use it to work on the chambers."

Blake's eyes flicked between Celia, Felix, and Melissa. The three of them were glancing at one another as well, realizing in unison what she was talking about. Cupa didn't seem to notice that time, but her next words drew the party's undivided attention. "Actually, if I remember right, the Illagers have a couple more like it. They must really like their dirt."

A beat passed, silent but saturated with a growing anticipation among the four of them who understood the implications.

"I think we would like to see the dirt ball," answered Celia, clearly trying to keep her reaction subdued. "Would you kindly show us?"

"The chiefs are inside, they're waitin' for you!"

Jels had returned and was pointing down a corridor on the other side of the item pile. Cupa ruffled his hair with a smile, then glanced their way again. "Why don't you follow me? I think you should meet my dads first. If you're interested in seeing it afterwards, I'll let you take a look."

Blake almost felt excited, until he realized what their possible discovery entailed. They might have hit the jackpot of Genesis Cores, unclaimed by the Usurpation, but retrieving them would require taking on a challenge spoken of only in hushed whispers among villagers and humans alike. They would have to enter the stronghold of Illager activity: a woodland mansion. And if people as vile and destructive as the Illagers had Genesis Cores, even facing down the Warden again might have been a more comforting thought.