:)

PoV: Etho

We stayed in the mines as long as we could. We can't reach GT. We don't even know if there's a way out of the hell we dug into. So we return to safety with the hopes that Cubby did to.

He didn't.

And whatever we awoke in the caves doesn't stop there.

The dead captain and one of the crew members now patrol the lake we always thought was safe, vicious little spirits start attacking us through the walls. The only one of us that dares investigate is newcomer Pearlie. I follow a few times, wary, into the depths where GT died. Until she's killed by the new monsters.

And then Doc is hit by One-Eyed Willie, the undead captain. Me and Bdubs barely get him ashore before he dies. Bdubs starts having nightmares. I start pretending I don't and that moving into the same room as him is solely for his benefit. Hypno teases us.

Until he's lost behind a rockfall.

'We revolt,' Cleo decides.

'It won't change anything.' Beef, who's with me, her and Bdubs in our latest mining trip, rebukes.

'How do you know?'

'Isn't this where...' Bdubs shuffles closer to me. 'Where... Hypno...'

'It's one of the only places that isn't corrupted,' Cleo replies. 'The sculk's spread far.'

'We don't know it's that dangerous...' Beef tries to argue.

'Guys...' Bdubs steps back, taking my hand. 'The ceiling's caving in.'

'Cleo, we need to run.' Beef insists.

'Where to? Even more danger?'

'Cleo, stop,' I say. 'We need to go. Now.'

'Wait- is that...'

Beef pauses, turning. Cleo looks.

'That's- Hypno- Oh Notch...'

'What?' Bdubs tries to approach. I grab his hand before he can.

'He's been... strangled? Wha-'

The ceiling falls.

The last thing I hear before the rocks fall is their scream.

The next few days me and Bdubs get even closer. It's the only relief from the memories. I try to befriend newcomers, Mumbo and Stress, but I don't want to make friends that'll just die in a couple weeks time. And I'm proved right, as is Cleo about the sculk, when Stress and Wels are, according to Iskall, dragged away by the sculk. They're replaced by Zedaph, False, Gem and Impulse.

We stop mining.

'We've looked everywhere.'

'I don't care,' Tek snaps back.

'There's nothing left!' I insist. 'The mine's empty!'

'Show me.'

'What?'

It's the first time Tek's ever asked to enter the mines.

'Now. All of you.'

We have to. Bdubs comes with me to our area, where we gathering up the pickaxes, torches and weapons and changing into more protective gear we thought we'd done using today.

'What's the plan?!' Bdubs whispers.

'There's a plan?'

'You always have a plan! He's gonna see there are diamonds and he'll keep forcing us into those mines day after day after day with no money, no other options, eating only berries, drinking only from the river down there...'

'Bdubs, it's ok.' I put my hands on his shoulders. 'I promise.'

'Come on!' Tek orders. I sigh.

'We should go.'

Bdubs stays with me the whole way down, hugging close as we stop in the mines.

'See?' Mumbo signals to the empty room. 'There's no diamonds.'

'We've barely entered. Continue.'

Again, we have to do as he said. Iskall's clearly traumatised by seeing Stress's death, avoiding the sculk at all costs. We reach the furthest drop, where we can see down to all three paths we've made across lower in the mines.

'One at a time.' Iskall reminds us, stepping onto the aging wood bridge. I hold back.

'Keep going.' Tek demands. We don't.  'I said KEEP GOING!'

Tek shoves Mumbo onto the bridge after Iskall. The bridge creaks.

'Move!' Tek demands a third time, now forcing False onto the bridge.

It collapses, taking the 3 with it.

Tek falls silent.

'We need to find another bridge.'

'Monster.'

A new voice.

It's barely more than a low growl behind us. A flicker of blue, then a flame, and the speaker's crystal staff glows, illuminating them. Their face is paler and more skeletal than even my fellow malnourished miners. Their eyes are blue pinpricks pupil among pure black, darker even than the vines of sculk tangled across their torn clothes and through their matted hair. Bat-like wings flicker faintly behind them. And yet, through all of it I recognise them.

Cubby.

'What are you?' Tek spits, drawing a sword.

'You killed my best friend.'

'Cubby?' I speak. 'What- happened? We thought you were dead.'

'I was. But death gave me another chance. The souls gave me healing, the Sculk gave me protection and the Vex gave me a purpose.' he steps closer. I pull Bdubs into a hug. 'Revenge.'

'For what?'

'For the deaths. The sacrifices for your greed. The lives you tear apart, the secrets you keep under the castle, and the ones you don't know about, that should've stayed hidden instead of being unleashed upon the innocents you trapped down here.' With every step, Tek gets closer and closer to the edge of the ravine. Pebbles crumble beneath his feet. For once, he's the one that's scared.

'Mercy,' Tek whispers, hands raised as much as he dares away from the wall he wants to hold onto. 'Whoever you are...'

He falls.

Cubby grabs his shirt collar, holding him there, perilously close to dying the same death as False, Iskall and Mumbo.

'On the day you told us to start mining these diamonds, a prisoner was brought to join us. What was his name?'

'H- how would I know?'

'Tell me his name or I let go.'

'Please... Please... All of you... I- I cared about you. I visited you.'

'You didn't even feed us!' Bdubs snaps back.

'I have a daughter! Don't- don't make her lose her dad! I love her.'

'Tell me the name of the prisoner. 5, 4, 3, 2...'

'Good Times!' Tek remembers. Cubby stops counting, dragging him back to safety.

'My best friend.' Humanity enters his voice, a grief he hasn't got over. But a moment later it's gone. 'Go to the surface. We'll follow.'

We do. I don't take my eyes off Cubby as we walk silent through the winding tunnels behind Tek. We reach the surface, but continue through the corridors and into the main hall where the king is sat, falling silent.

'Tek, explain.'

'The price of greed,' Cubby begins, glowing with  magic. 'the fate of kings.'

'What- what's going on?'

'Revenge now freed destruction brings
Through eons for a host did we wait
By the rage of a ghost will come your fate
Our powers now taught from son to son
Til our fate be brought out the dark to the sun
All Adamas royals, and the dungeon master Teks'
Your cruelty unleash the Curse of the VEX!'

He slams his staff at the ground. As cracks spread across the ground, he turns.

'Run.'

:)

Published this, and then decided to add 400 extra words of dramatic Cubby cuz I wanted to.

Now I need to edit down this chapter again-