Chapter 3: Genesis Core
Blake made his way into the desolated ruins of the forest under the tree, heart pounding. The ground was littered with chips of wood, leaves, twigs, fruits, and anything else that had been caught in the incident entrance. The panicked squawking of hundreds of birds filled the air, and soon enough the birds themselves did too. Other animals were fleeing as well: foxes, stray ocelots, and at least one pack of wolves rushed in every direction. He didn't even want to think about what became of the creatures in the epicenter of the tree's appearance.
An unbearably foul stench permeated, followed by a low groan from behind him. Blake whirled around, slashing across the zombie's chest. The creature's green, rotting flesh split without much effort, and it staggered back a few steps. He didn't give it the chance to recover, recalling the skeleton from the day prior, and stabbed it through the stomach. The zombie sputtered, feebly reaching a hand toward his face before giving up and collapsing. Blake wiped the stone blade against the grass in a feeble attempt to clean it.
"I just hope the mobs aren't all as brave as that zombie."
He kept moving, carefully stepping over increasingly thick debris. It eventually clicked that although the mobs had not fled with the animals, they were not actively roaming the remains of the forest. This, he further realized, was because they were too busy trying to disentangle themselves from the wreckage.
Blake began to see zombies with bits of wood embedded in their bodies, and pinned or outright crushed beneath the fallen blocks of trees. Skeletons were little more than scattered bones, and his skin crawled when he came across the lower half of a creeper slumped against a tree stump, its mossy shell clearly having been no match for whatever had happened. But the worst discovery was that of a spider, still living and cowering beneath a toppled trunk. Blake was sure to give that one a very wide berth; the mere sight was causing him to tremble.
The deeper he went, the thicker the ruined foliage became. More dead or dying mobs were present as well- in fact, he would go so far as to say a suspicious number of them. Packs weren't uncommon, but the sheer number of monsters he came across struck him as more than just a coincidence. With the exception of a second bold zombie that Blake easily put down, they were all too distracted by the disaster to pay him much mind.
"Mobs don't group up for no reason, and there's too many here to just have been taking cover from the sunlight. Were they chasing something?"
He felt his blood run cold. Could somebody else have been in the woods, fleeing from monsters when the tree appeared? What if they were still there?
Felix resisted the urge to wince with every crunch in the leaves his footsteps made as he ran after Celia. There wasn't much chance of remaining inconspicuous now that the enormous tree had no doubt drawn the attention of everyone for chunks, and his main focus was ensuring they didn't get separated.
"Keep up!" she insisted from further ahead. "If we dawdle, we could lose this opportunity!"
"We might lose a lot more than the opportunity if we blunder into a trap," he thought. But he wasn't about to voice that concern, not when she was in such a determined state. He'd known her long enough to understand the best course of action was simply to make sure no harm came to her.
"I can't believe we're this close," Felix said as he caught up at last. "It seems so unreal."
She giggled, daintily stepping over a fallen tree branch. Somehow her graceful stride didn't falter even amidst the copious debris of the forest floor. "Was there ever any doubt? I knew from the moment we left Luxmouth we'd be able to locate a Genesis Core ourselves! You still have the radar active, yes?"
He reached into a hidden fold of his leather chestplate, withdrawing a sheet of paper akin to a map. Rather than showing the local geography, however, the surface displayed a spherical object colored deep purple. The paper was enchanted to provide a set of coordinates beside the sphere, relative to their position. As they kept moving through the forest, the coordinates' values decreased.
"I do, Lady Celia. The Genesis Core is at the base of the enormous tree."
She practically squealed. "Excellent! And the effect it had must mean this is the second Bonemeal Core! Father will be thrilled when we return with it!"
Felix was quiet again. He didn't want to deflate her enthusiasm, but he could only hope Duke Xavier would be in a forgiving mood when they returned. Celia's unannounced departure with no bodyguards didn't strike him as something that would blow over well even if there wasn't an invasion to contend with. And while she was the Duke's daughter, he had no such claim to nobility. Maybe, with luck, he'd only get a few years of jail time for assisting her…
"Felix? You're very quiet. Are you not as excited about this?"
He blinked when she interrupted his thoughts, and stuttered out a response. "Uh… y-yes, Lady Celia. I'm…"
His voice trailed off again as the radar changed. Though they continued to get closer to the Genesis Core, a second reading had suddenly appeared. Below the purple sphere, a yellow one was now being tracked to their east.
"…very much excited," Felix continued. "There's another Core nearby, about 25 chunks to the east!"
Celia gasped.
"You mean we'll be able to obtain two? Fortune is truly on our side today. To which are we closer?"
He checked the radar again. "We can save some time by securing the Bonemeal Core first; we're almost two thirds of the way there. Then we can-"
The radar was changing as they walked. Although they were moving away from where the second reading had first appeared, the yellow sphere's coordinates were shown to be moving away from them- and toward the enormous tree.
"Wait, that shouldn't be happening," he said. "Genesis Cores can't move on their own, so… someone already has the second one. And it seems they're closer to the Bonemeal Core than we are."
Celia turned a shade paler. "No… the Usurpers are here?"
Felix's heart sank as he nodded. "I don't know who else it could be. We have to hurry."
And so they broke into a run again, desperately trying to close the gap between them and their enemies.
Ray led his team at a brisk walk through the devastated forest. The mobs which had survived the incident seemed to have gained more confidence, and Lime Squad found itself under attack by a group of six zombies. Two skeletons had their bows drawn in the distance, waiting for them to get just a little closer.
"Fan out!" he called. "Lime-2 through 5, take care of the zombies. Lime-7 and Lime-8, watch the rear. I'll deal with the skeletons."
His cohorts split up as instructed. Ray watched as four agents beckoned and taunted the zombies into pursuing them in different directions, where they would be isolated and easier to handle. That left him with the ranged mobs, already taking aim at him. He drew his iron sword and deflected the first arrow, then sidestepped the second. As the skeletons moved to reload, he charged for the one closest to him. A swift attack later, and its head landed on the ground.
The second mob ground its teeth angrily, firing another arrow. It came closer to hitting him this time, but still not by enough to concern Ray. He smiled, deciding it wouldn't hurt to hone his talents with the artifact he possessed.
"Grass Core, time to do your thing."
Energy surged within him, courtesy of the Genesis Core he'd been entrusted. He became acutely aware of the grass underfoot, buried beneath the debris. Ray smiled, allowing his senses to become fully attuned to it- specifically, to the grass on which his enemy stood. A moment of concentration later, the blades had grown to be waist-high, tangling themselves around the mob's legs. When the alarmed skeleton attempted to step free, the grass at its feet formed a knot and tripped it. Ray strode over, delivering a quick stab to the back of its skull.
"Simple enough," he said as the Grass Core's power died down. "How are you all faring?"
Limes 2 and 5 were already walking over to rejoin him. Behind them, Limes 3 and 4 were delivering finishing blows to the last of the zombies. No other mobs had attacked, so Limes 7 and 8 approached as well.
"Finished, Sir Ray," Lime-2 reported, sheathing her blade. "No casualties."
"Good. Any signs of Lime-6?"
Six hooded and masked heads shook in unison.
"Hm. I hope he's okay… let's find the Core, then we can see where he is."
He stowed his sword back into the folds of his cloak and continued walking, keeping his eyes peeled. The tree wasn't far at all- and neither was their objective.
"I know the conditions make it difficult," he announced, "but try not to get your outfits too dirty. We want to look as good as we can when we present the Core to Commandant Green."
"Yes, Sir Ray," they responded at once. He could hear the excitement in their voices as well.
"The dark Bonemeal Core... Talk about the score of a lifetime; this could be our ticket to the higher ranks!"
They reached the base of the tree- and the tangled mess of a forest under it- at last. Their prize was in reach.
Blake just beginning to worry that finding answers to the mysterious tree would entail climbing it. The ruined foliage was denser than ever, and he came across the remains of another mob every few yards. At one point, he swore he heard a distinct dry hiss from nearby, but its source was nowhere to be seen. Just as he began to consider simply turning and fleeing from the tree, he finally came across something that intrigued him enough not to.
One of the many shards of wood strewn across his path had a torn piece of cloth stuck to it, like somebody had ripped their shirt on the way past. It was tan wool, and while he was no expert at making clothes he could tell that it had come from something finely woven; even the small scrap's fibers held together remarkably well. It must have taken considerable force to tear off.
"Either that, or the person this belonged to was running by in a hurry…"
Blake got his answer soon enough. At seemingly the deepest point of the foliage, he was met by the miserable sight of a body amidst the debris.
He stared at it, suddenly feeling very numb. It unfortunately wasn't the first time he'd seen death; zombie attacks in the past had claimed more than a few villagers, and he and his old friends had been forced to avenge the fallen. Given said fallen often became zombies themselves, there was never much in the way of remains to collect. But this was the first time he'd seen a human body, or at least what he thought was a human body.
The corpse was awkwardly positioned such that its long, tan cloak concealed most of its details. It had a distinctly human shape, with the same blocky limbs as anyone else, but he wasn't about to try and remove the person's garb to confirm his or her humanity. The cloak sported jagged gashes, telltale signs of zombie attacks, and was stained red in certain spots. Blake shuddered at the sight.
"Sorry, man. I hope you're doing better wherever you are now..."
At least now he knew what the mobs were congregating for, but that still didn't explain the tree. There was no way it could have just sprung up on its own, so what had happened?
His attention was drawn to a faint light within the foliage. A thick, gnarled pile of branches had collapsed over something emitting a purple glow and a low humming sound. Curiosity piqued, Blake began to shift the forest debris aside. He dug through wood and roots and slabs of bark before finally uncovering the concealed item: a translucent sphere about the size of his fist.
It was a type of object he'd never seen before. Traveling merchants had shown off rare Ender Pearls to him and his friends when they were younger, but he distinctly remembered them being dark green. The glassy item before him was deep amethyst and gave off a truly remarkable amount of purple light now that he'd dug it free. Through its surface, Blake could see a dark, hazy gas swirling within.
"What is this thing?"
Thinking it was some forgotten treasure- or maybe a belonging of the dead traveler- Blake reached down to pick it up. The moment his hand contacted the smooth, cool surface, his vision blurred and he could hear someone talking.
"Why don't we just grow it ourselves? They need our help, don't they?"
"We'll help them get a farm set up over there, by the river. That's it."
Then Blake's perception returned to normal, leaving him thoroughly confused. The two voices were distinctly male, but they had a certain otherworldliness to their tones he couldn't exactly put his finger on. He'd also never heard either of them before. A quick glance at his surroundings suggested he was alone, so he looked back at the sphere.
"Did you just say that to me?"
If it had, it didn't say anything else. He picked up the sphere and gave it a close inspection, trying to find any miniscule detail which would tell him what it was. The closest Blake got to an answer was an inexplicable thought of… bonemeal?
"Hey! Who are you?"
He jolted so hard that he nearly stumbled and fell. Blake spun around, keeping his sword close.
The speaker was a man about his height, but his face was mostly hidden behind a metal mask with green-lensed goggles. He wore a long, hooded cloak colored the same dusty tan as that of the body Blake had found. Only the bottom of the man's face was visible, with a deep frown and unusually gray-looking skin. Six people dressed in similar garb, minus the goggles, appeared behind him.
"I… live here."
Blake was taken aback at how hoarse his voice sounded. It suddenly occurred to him that he was speaking to another living being for the first time in over a year.
The man's frown didn't change. "You live here? In this tree?"
He cleared his throat. "Uh… no. I live- I mean I lived in a village. Not far from here."
"Sir Ray," one of the masked people said aloud, "he has-"
Their apparent leader raised a hand, and his cohort fell silent. "Then you must have come to investigate this tree as well. Did you encounter anyone clothed as we are?"
Blake's heart sank as he pointed toward the mess of branches where the body was. "Over there. I found him like that, the zombies must have gotten to him."
A murmur rose from the group. Ray stepped past him and approached the body, inspecting it. He let out a sigh.
"Indeed… rest easy, Lime-6. We will continue our work in your memory."
His other peons mumbled their own farewells to the body. Blake wasn't sure what to make of all this; their outfits made it clear they weren't mere travelers.
"I found this near him, under a bunch of rubble," he said, showing the group the orb. "Any idea what it is?"
Ray stepped closer, looking at it. His mouth twitched; Blake could tell he was actively holding back a smile.
"It's an object my friends and I have sought out for some time now, called the Bonemeal Core. I don't have a doubt in my mind that it caused this tree to grow so large."
"Bonemeal? Like the stuff you use to fertilize plants? I've never heard of it working this much."
Looking at the towering roots reaching above them, Ray chuckled. "Oh yes, the Core has truly extraordinary powers. It can accelerate or- as you can see- enhance plant growth to an unprecedented degree. If used improperly, the results can be disastrous. There is another like it, currently in the possession of some ruffians who stand against those of my order."
Blake raised a brow. "Your… order?"
"Enough questions," he said shortly. "Please give me the Core so we may be on our way."
He looked at it. True, they'd apparently been looking for the item for a while… but something gave him the inexplicable urge not to let them have it. Not out of greed, rather due to apprehension. Something rubbed him the wrong way about this group.
"Um… no offense, but I'd like to hold onto it for a while. I'm leaving home at last, and this is my first big discovery."
Ray's jaw tightened, and Blake noticed his hand twitch as if about to clench.
"This isn't up for debate," one of the masked people said. "Hand it over, or we'll take it from you by force."
"I'd prefer a simple approach," Ray cut in, glancing at his peon, "but in this case I'm forced to put my foot down. We need that sphere more than you will ever know. Give it to me."
Blake backpedaled, suddenly realizing that irritating them while outnumbered seven to one wasn't the best idea. He instinctively held the Bonemeal Core close to his chest.
Too close, in fact. The sphere seemed to melt away against him, the misty substance within absorbing into Blake's body. In seconds, there was no trace of the item left. He gasped as a rush of energy overtook him, and his senses became hyperaware of the plants all around them. Blake, however was more concerned with the alarmed reactions he received at the moment.
"He's bound it to himself," another masked person exclaimed. "Sir Ray…?"
From behind the lenses of his goggles, Ray's eyes were narrowed as he and Blake stared one another down. "So be it. We'll recover the Genesis Core from your remains. Agents, kill the Inlander!"