Chapter 16: Winding Down
The throne room's doors swung open, and Duke Xavier entered with a small posse of assorted people. Guards and servants followed him, of course, but he was also accompanied by two hooded men wearing gold-colored robes that nearly reached the floor. Each of them held an object Blake had never seen. The first resembled a shrunken-down dispenser, but instead of a hatch to load items and a chute to eject them, the contraption only featured a circular groove in one side of its gray stone casing and a switch in the other. The second was a white box with a thin, snaking gap along its center, suggesting the top and bottom halves could separate. Blake's pulse quickened when he noticed a faint yellow light shining through the gap.
"Is that a shulker box?" Felix asked, pointing to the white object. "I've never seen one in person."
"They're quite rare, but we have a few in storage," Xavier replied.
"What's that?" Blake asked, his curiosity piqued.
Celia was the first to answer. "Shulker boxes come from the End. They're like chests, but they can be carried around without removing their contents. Very useful- and, indeed, very rare."
"Really? The End?"
"Our trade connections go quite far," Celia remarked, beaming. "Though it does seem outlandish enough to be a Usurpation tool, doesn't it?"
Blake could only nod, still dumbfounded by the otherworldly contraption. He'd heard stories of the fantastical things to be found in the End, but had never worked up the nerve to so much as approach an Enderman, let alone seek out the Strongholds leading to their home dimension- for every tale of the End's otherworldly landscape, ripe for exploration, there was another of some unlucky traveler attracting its denizens' ire and meeting a brutal fate.
"This device is of Usurpation make," the hooded man with the dispenser-looking item said. "It was confiscated from the soldiers who infiltrated Luxmouth. According to their leader, it is meant to safely extract Genesis Cores from those they are bound to."
"I wonder if Ray had one of those," Blake thought. "Was trying to kill me really necessary?"
"We can remove the Cores from you both, but first we'd like to test something," explained the Duke.
The man with the shulker box set it down and removed the lid. Yellow light shone from within, but the brightness couldn't deter the many enamored eyes; the golden Bonemeal Core's allure was too strong. It sat alone within the box, gleaming like a miniature sun.
"Do either of you feel anything different?" the hooded man asked him and Celia.
Blake was certainly filled with wonder and intrigue, but there wasn't any pull toward his Core's twin, or away from it for that matter. No newfound power or sense of a hidden potential sprang forth within him. There was just a hint of resonating energy in his chest, one which wasn't even new by then.
"I think the Bonemeal Core I have sort of 'knows' that the other one's here. It's giving off a kind of tingle inside me. But that's happened before; I could feel it when we met those two Usurpation captains, and I still feel it from the Fire Core that Ce- the Countess has."
"I don't know if it's because I'm less accustomed," Celia added, "but I'm feeling something more than just that. It's as if… the Fire Core is familiar with it. What if I try binding the Bonemeal Core to myself as well?"
The Duke shook his head. "If binding just one of them was as overwhelming as you said it was, we should not risk two until we can study them further. In the meantime, it would be best if we remove them now for safekeeping."
Celia looked a bit disappointed, but didn't object. Blake, recalling the last time he'd refused to give up a Genesis Core when asked, decided it would be best to comply.
One of the hooded men approached him first, pointing the groove of the Usurpation gadget at him and flipping the switch. A chime rang from it, and a purple icon of a sphere lit up on its top. Blake couldn't help but squint and look away as the foggy gas which had entered his body beneath the giant tree reappeared, drifting away from his chest and collecting in the hollow of the device. A few seconds later, the glassy shell had reformed, and the purple Bonemeal Core was held in the groove, its gentle glow returning.
"How do you feel? Does anything hurt?" Celia asked him.
He checked himself over. His clothes were still a mess- their urgent business hadn't permitted time for any of the trio to clean themselves up- but he didn't think he'd been wounded by the extraction.
"Nope, I think I'm completely fine. Didn't hurt at all."
That was partially a lie. Losing the Bonemeal Core hadn't harmed him physically, but parting with the first thing he'd discovered on his new journey came with a strong melancholic tinge.
"It's for the best. They'll keep it safer than I can."
The Core was placed into the shulker box alongside its yellow twin, where their radiant glows reflected off one another's surface. As the man turned to remove Celia's, though, Blake considered the hollowness in his chest- one which definitely had nothing to do with the artifact's absence.
"Magic treasure or not, it's just an item I've had for a few days. So why do I feel so… sad, all of a sudden? I'm not THAT attached to it, am I?"
"What happens now?" asked Celia once the man had extracted her Core.
"You've returned at a most opportune time," said her father. "Soon, we will be hosting representatives from our neighbors to discuss the war effort going forward. It's become clear we cannot win unless we stand together, and while the Usurpation has cut off our contacts in many other city-states, we can still reach some of our longtime allies. I'd like you to be at the meeting with me- your firsthand experience with our enemies could prove useful."
Felix approached one of the hooded men, offering them the black book. "We believe the Usurpation are using enchanted books like these to communicate at short ranges," he said. "If you can translate their written language, or figure out the spells used, it might give us an edge."
Blake followed his example and presented Ray's sword. "I stole this from one of their squad leaders. I doubt it's as useful as the books, but they seem to have a different crafting system than us. Maybe this'll help you understand how it works."
One of the gold-robed men accepted both items with a quiet "thank you."
"The both of you will be well compensated for your efforts," Duke Xavier said. His eyes briefly flickered to Felix, and a grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Transgressions aside."
Though his face reddened, Felix bowed. Blake mimicked him again. While accepting a reward for just running for his life alongside the Countess and accidentally finding a Genesis Core felt odd, he wouldn't turn it down- he wasn't exactly loaded on supplies.
"For now, you all could use some freshening up. The palace staff will show you to the washrooms," Xavier continued, mostly to him and Felix. "You can expect your rewards before you leave."
A pair of guards formed up beside Celia, who gave Blake smile that looked more than a little forced. "Well then. Thank you for everything… I never would have made it back if not for you and Felix."
"Uh, yeah. It was my pleasure," he replied, finding himself straining for a smile of his own. "I'm sure you'll be able to figure out how to stop the Usurpation, so good luck at the meeting… Lady Celia."
A palace servant offered for him and Felix to follow her from the throne room, while the Countess was escorted out by the guards. The two groups parted ways in the hall, heading in opposite directions.
"I'm sure Felix will go back home after this too," Blake thought. "Once I'm all cleaned up and I've gotten my reward, I'll be able to head out and go anywhere I want."
He would be free to do as he wished again. Without the company of the first two friends he'd made in a very long time, and unsure of what to make of himself in the world.
Blake withheld a sigh. He was right back where he started.
Despite the instruction to get some rest, Ray wound up waiting with Tara and Esme until Marshal Orion emerged from his tent about an hour later. They followed him to the edge of the camp, where Trooper Ruby-13 was being tended to by Jade Squad. Though he was stable, as Esme had reported, Ray grimaced at the number of still-healing wounds on his exposed skin. His armor was all but ruined, and his chest even sported burns.
"I'm glad to see you're recovering," Orion commented.
"Thank you, Marshal. But… I'm the only one who made it." Ruby-13's fists were clenched.
"Could you tell us what happened?"
The following story was one Ray found a little too relatable toward the end. Ruby Squad, scouting the nearby islands under Sir Merric's command, had come across a frame of obsidian surrounded by unusual red rocks. Within the ring of black stone swirled a purple mass not unlike the linked gateways used in settled Usurper territory. Curious, the team had entered and found themselves in a bizarre alternate dimension of endless fire, lava, and burgundy stones.
It hadn't taken long for them to come across- and be attacked by- a group of grotesque creatures with the faces of pigs, wielding golden blades and crossbows. Ruby-13 managed to escape to the gateway when Sir Merric had ordered a retreat moments before suffering a fatal blow, and the lone trooper clambered out and away from the obsidian frame, through which the pig-men didn't pursue him.
"I was injured during my retreat, and the portal was quite a ways from the site of the attack. I didn't want to leave the light Fire Core behind, but…"
Ray's heart clenched. He knew how the trooper must have felt.
"None of the blame is on you," Orion said softly. "No sense throwing your life away just for the Genesis Core. We can recover it another time- for now, we're to pack up the camp and move out."
The command earned him confused looks from everyone, Ray included.
"There's nothing left for us here," he explained, "so we're heading back to the mainland to regroup. I've reached out to Overseer Fornax, and she's willing to lend us a hand in acquiring the light Bonemeal Core at last."
Ray perked up at the name. Orion was a Marshal, a major officer in the Expansion Division. The Industrial Division equivalent was an Overseer, a rank above Knights. Fornax was one such officer; in fact, she was the immediate superior of Ray and Esme, and their squads were working alongside Orion by her command.
The Marshal turned to him, Tara, and Esme. "My plan is still a work in progress, so I'll fill everyone in once she and I have it finalized. For now, have the troopers and agents start packing up. Only take the essential supplies; we should get moving as soon as possible."
He moved to head back into the camp, but paused and looked at Ray and Tara again. "Oh, and as for you two… don't worry about the operation's failure. As long as you're willing to help us with the new plan, Overseer Fornax and I will waive any consequences."
"Thank you, Marshal. I won't let you down again."
Was that humility he'd just heard from Tara? She almost sounded like swallowing her pride to such a degree was painful.
"We… won't be demoted, sir?" Ray asked.
"What would be the point? You're still able-bodied fighters, aren't you? If those three Inlanders were trying to return to Luxmouth, you might even have another chance to get back at them."
And with that, the Marshal left them again. Tara followed suit, not saying another word.
Ray turned to Ruby-13. "I'm sorry for your loss. If you'd like, I'll put in a request to the Marshal to transfer you over to Lime Squad- I'm a bit short on members as it is."
The trooper grunted an agreement, but didn't look up from the ground. Ray decided to leave him to recover, walking away into the camp with Esme at his side.
"I'd say we got off easy," he said.
"At least you didn't lose your Genesis Core. You'll be given a new team to work with."
He sighed. "I know, it's not the same," Esme replied. "Lime Squad meant a lot to you."
"We're all fighting so our people can live better lives. Overthrowing the Inlanders is the top priority, but what's the point if we lose too many ourselves?"
Ray lifted his mask to massage his temples. "Just have to remind myself of what we're fighting for, that's all. Sorry for griping," he continued.
Esme was quiet, before she failed to hide a giggle. "I wouldn't have minded if she got a demotion. Maybe then I'd get to have her Ice Core."
"You'd be much better to work with," Ray agreed. "You'll get your own Genesis Core soon, I'm sure of it. I've always thought your reconnaissance talents were wasted by just having you act as security in the camp."
"Oh, don't you flatter me."
He chuckled, rolling his eyes. "Fine, then, I guess you don't deserve one if all you've done lately is hang back here and cozy up to the Marshal-"
That earned him a punch to the shoulder, but she was still grinning.
"Here you are, sirs."
Blake was the cleanest he'd been… well, since even before the past week. A much-needed stay in the washroom took care of the mud and dust he'd accumulated on the journey, and the staff had even restored his clothes to a pristine state. Not a rip or stain to be found.
The sun had begun to set by the time he and Felix were presented with their rewards by a servant at the palace's front entrance. Blake couldn't believe what he was looking at: enough food (mixed vegetables and cooked meats) for at least two weeks, a stack (sixty-four) of iron ingots, two stacks of emeralds, and a quarter of a stack of diamonds. Felix received the same.
"Duke Xavier and Countess Celia offer you their upmost thanks," the servant told them.
Thanking him in return, they exited the palace and made their way through the courtyard until they'd returned to the streets. The gates locked behind them.
"Can't help but feel like we just got kicked out," Blake said.
Felix shrugged. "It's nothing personal. They can't just have people wandering by the palace at night, can they?"
"I guess not."
Many of the pedestrians were turning in for the evening, closing up shops and heading home.
"What're you going to do now?"
Blake was still surveying the streets nearby, but he could see Felix looking at him with an odd expression. He had to think for a moment about his response.
"I'll find an inn to stay at. You have those here, right?"
"We have some in the city, but to tell you the truth they're a little overpriced," Felix said. "Or so I hear, anyway. You're better off at the villages in the outer district- they're more reasonable."
"Good to know. Tomorrow, I'll…"
His heart sank. He had no idea what he'd do the next day, or the day after that.
"…if you've got nowhere else to be, why don't you come by my place for now?"
Blake perked up- perhaps a little too eagerly- and rounded on him. "Really?"
Felix took half a step back in surprise. "I-if you're interested. I could show you where my family has their business, and a little of the work we do. I'm sure we can spare a room for you for a few days."
"How much do you want-"
He was cut off when Felix held up a hand. "You just helped me bring Lady Celia home in the face of mobs, Illagers, and the Usurpation. I'm not taking anything."
Blake smiled. He wouldn't have to be on his own again just yet. "I've gotta repay you somehow, though."
Felix took a moment to reply. "Maybe… you could teach me how to fight a little? Lady Celia received formal training, and you seem pretty good at it too, but I wasn't much help when enemies got up close."
"Sounds good to me. Okay then, lead on."
His brief adventure may have been over, but at least he didn't have to be alone again.
Blake followed Felix to a more commercial district of Luxmouth, where the small shops lining the streets gave way to larger businesses and companies. With nighttime setting in, the crowds they'd been escorted through earlier had all but vanished, and only a few straggling villagers or other human citizens like themselves were still roaming the streets. The most activity they came across was the occasional pair of iron-clad guards on patrol who gave them reassuring nods as they passed. By the third time they'd encountered such a duo, Blake had identified a pattern.
"One always has a sword, and the other has a bow. None of the city streets are dark enough for mobs like skeletons or creepers to spawn, though, so why do they need a ranged weapon?"
He got an answer soon enough. They rounded a corner and found another pair of guards standing near a pedestrian with noticeable bags under his eyes. Overhead, a large bat-like creature circled before swooping at the man.
"Here it comes," the sword-wielding guard said, bouncing on his heels.
His cohort drew back the bow and loosed an arrow when the creature was close, striking it through the body. The mob dropped to the ground, hissing and snarling until the swordsman finished it off. He picked it up and inspected its smooth wings.
"And not a scratch to the membrane," he remarked. "We're pretty good at this."
"Are you okay, sir?" the archer asked the tired-looking pedestrian.
"Fine, thanks to you."
"Get home safely, now. And get some rest."
The guards and the man thus parted ways, leaving Blake both impressed and puzzled.
"Hey! You okay?" Felix hadn't noticed him stopping and had continued down the street, barely paying the brief hunt any mind. Blake jogged to him, but pointed at the backs of the guards.
"What just happened? They dealt with a phantom like it was nothing out of the ordinary!"
Phantoms were undead flying mobs, infamous for harassing those who went several days without sleeping. Their wide green eyes alone had long since spooked Blake into never staying up more than he had to. He didn't fear them the same way he did spiders, but they were a nuisance he never wanted to deal with. It wasn't as if phantoms offered rewards worth fighting for anyway; the only items to be gathered from their carcasses were their membranous wings, which Blake had personally never found a use for.
"Oh, that. It really isn't out of the ordinary here," Felix said as they kept walking. "Luxmouth has a big population, and there's always going to be people who go a while without a good night's rest. At least a few phantoms pop up every night, so the guards have taken to hunting them. Membranes sort of accidentally became a big export of the city as a result."
"That sounds equal parts impressive and ridiculous. Who even buys those?"
Felix shrugged. "Someone, somewhere. Phantom membranes don't have many uses, but clearly there's a market for them."
Fascinated by the different practices as Blake was, he decided he didn't want to get into the phantom-hunting trade.
The pair continued onward until they reached a building not composed of the same brickwork and cobblestone as most others, but rather smooth granite and andesite- rocks which Blake only ever saw as irritants that filled up his inventory whenever he would go mining. Here, though, the materials had been used along with dark oak logs in a two-story structure which actually looked quite nice. Even the road around the building was layered with smooth diorite.
'Silverhand Crafting and Architecture' read a sign on the front. 'No matter the budget, no matter the materials, our work will amaze.'
"This is your business? Or your house?"
Felix pointed at the upper windows, through which lit redstone lamps could be seen. "Both. My sister and I live upstairs."
They had just about reached the entrance when the door was flung open, and out stepped a woman taller than either of them, in a simple beige nightgown. Her hair, tied in a bun, was the same gold as Felix's, and her blue eyes also matched his.
The three of them stood still for a few seconds, Blake finding he couldn't directly meet her eyes. Her hard stare made him want to shrivel up- he could feel the scrutiny he was under.
"Hi, Emily," Felix said, barely above a whisper. He was holding the leather helmet to his chest as if giving a solemn vow.
She didn't reply, stepping out of the doorway and up to them. Blake flinched when she raised a hand toward Felix, but to the apparent surprise of both she gently ruffled his hair. In an instant her icy visage had melted, and she had a very laid-back grin.
"I got a message from the palace earlier saying you and the Countess were back," she said. "It's been a busy day in the store, sorry for not coming to get you sooner."
"Uh, t-that's okay," Felix said, trying to push her hand away. His face had considerably reddened. "C-can you not do that, please?"
"Well, you did have me worried for a couple weeks; damn near made me start growing gray hairs. I'd say you can suck up a little embarrassment as payback."
Blake stared, realizing that was the second time that day he'd been faked out by his friends' family.
"You must be the other kid I heard returned with them," she said to him. "I'm Emily Silverhand, his sister."
"My name's Blake. And yeah, I was traveling with him and Celia."
Felix finally managed to swat her hand out of his hair and took a step away. "We escaped the Usurpation together and brought back a Genesis Core," he explained.
"No kidding? I'm sure there's a long story behind that, but you can tell me it tomorrow. Come on in; you both look exhausted."
Blake gave Felix a bewildered look, to which Emily just chuckled. "We've got a spare bedroom for you," she said. "Or maybe I'll make Felix sleep in the showroom- give him a little extra punishment for sneaking out. You can take his place for the night!"
"T-the spare is fine, thank you," Blake somehow managed to say. This was one of the strangest interactions with a person he'd ever experienced.
She beamed at them. "Okay, suit yourself."
Emily entered without waiting for them. Blake hesitated, still at a loss for words.
"She's able to shift her tone and attitude instantly," Felix groaned, a hand over his eyes. "It's jarring. Sorry, I should've warned you sooner."
"Wouldn't be much of a businesswoman if I couldn't adjust as the situation demands!" her voice drifted from the doorway. "Now get in here and go to bed already!"
"Best not to argue," he said, following her inside.
Still unsure how Emily actually felt- and concerned he never would be- Blake heeded his advice.
"Please let us know if you need anything, Countess."
"Thank you, I will."
Celia, fresh from her bath and a small dinner she'd requested, shut the door and got a look at her room for the first time in nearly two and a half weeks.
A bed large enough for three people.
Redstone lamps, emitting dim blue light through stained-glass fixtures.
A jukebox and a chest of music discs.
Soft white carpeting which her feet sank comfortably into.
A window with a wide view of the nighttime sky, and its endless stars.
Bookshelves stocked with every genre she could ask for.
A painting of her father from many years earlier, a brunette woman with a gentle smile at his side and a redheaded toddler in his lap.
Chests stuffed with ornate clothing for any occasion.
And, of course, the two guards at her beck and call outside.
All of it felt alien to her.
It wasn't the first time Celia had been away from home. She'd visited Luxmouth's neighbors in the past on official business with her father, and had been gone longer before. But something about being in the room again felt different- other than the new layer of obsidian blocks in the floor beneath her bed.
She frowned. Her getaway had been for the good of her city, but the message was clear.
"I suppose there's no need to sneak out again. We now have three Genesis Cores in safe custody, and we won't need to spread our militia any thinner."
Encounters with the Usurpation aside, she'd succeeded in spectacular fashion. A smile crossed her lips, but vanished just as quickly.
"That was quite the journey. Now it's over."
Celia wandered to the shelf and removed a book with a heavily weathered spine. Its cover depicted a man and a woman in shining diamond armor, doing battle with a black dragon.
'THE LEGENDARY HEROES – and Other Tales of Adventure'
She sat beside the window, just looking into the night sky with the book held to her chest.