Chapter 18: Anniversary

Blake recalled village-wide festivals back home. Birthdays and bountiful harvests were always celebrated, and he and his old friends never hesitated to join in the fun. The sheer excitement surging through the town had been infectious, and at the time he couldn't imagine anything on a bigger scale than everyone coming together for the festivities.

How wrong he was.

Luxmouth, on that bright morning, was buzzing. Hundreds of people took to the streets, whipped up in a frenzy. Parades were already underway, artists lined the side roads and hawked their wares, and not more than a few seconds went by before the ring of a bell- often several- was heard. Groups of children, human and villager alike, chased each other with tiny wooden swords, engaged in battles of no doubt epic proportions. Guards patrolled the streets as usual, but with a greater air of levity than Blake had seen during his time in the city. Even the iron golems appeared happier than usual, offering bundles of flowers to everyone they passed. As Blake followed Felix and Emily up the road from the shop, he couldn't help but feel a bit giddy at the raw energy around them.

He was also happy for the day off. His fingers and arms still ached after the last few days of nonstop crafting- the orders just never stopped coming in for decorations and supplies.

"This is everyone's favorite time of year," Emily said between mouthfuls of a candied melon slice- something of a Luxmouth specialty. "Would you believe me if I said it's usually even livelier than this?"

He took a bite of his own melon. It was oppressively sweet, and not entirely to his liking, but Blake wasn't one to waste. "I bet it is. The war definitely puts a damper on things."

"Yet everyone's celebrating anyway," Felix remarked. "Not even an invasion will keep their spirits down."

"The Festival's more meaningful than ever. It's all about standing up in the face of evil and overcoming it, fighting for the sake of the world, gooey things like that," said Emily. "Just like Notch did."

Blake raised a brow. "Really? Not what I heard."

That earned him an odd look from them both. "Where I'm from," he explained, "we heard Notch was a hero who gave mankind the knowledge of mining and crafting. That's why we're able to make such good use of the environment. Meanwhile, he taught villagers some of their trades."

"I mean, that's part of it," said Emily after a moment. "But there's way more to the legend. It used to be Felix's favorite bedtime story, why not ask him about it? I've told it to him so much, we both know it by memory."

Felix, red in the face, looked down at the street while his sister snorted with laughter. "E-Em…"

Blake grinned, but wasn't about to tease him for it. He remembered his own adoptive father telling him stories of fantasy and adventure, when he was younger. They were what gave him the love of exploration he'd shared with his friends.

His father. He fought back the urge to well up at the thought of the old villager.

"Wherever you're watching me from, I hope I'm making you proud."

Emily was twenty-nine, easily old enough to have her own family, but had foregone that for the sake of looking after Felix and the family business. Neither of them had ever mentioned their parents' conspicuous absence to Blake, who himself had decided not to pry. Celia's apparent lack of a mother hadn't gone unnoticed either, but similarly, he felt it wasn't his business to ask.

"…okay, fine!"

He brought his attention back to the present, where Felix seemed to have been convinced to share the story. "Have you ever heard of Herobrine?"

A distant memory clicked in his mind, and he flinched. "You can't say that name!"

Both of them looked at him strangely again. The three had reached Luxmouth's main road and were watching various street performers and musicians at work, portraying grand tales of heroism.

"It's bad luck. At least, that's what all the villagers told us when we were kids…"

"What do you know about him?" asked Felix.

"He's the King of Darkness, Scourge of the Overworld. I've even seen Illagers panic at the mention of his name."

Emily smirked. "If I knew it could spook people that badly, maybe I would've used it to keep Felix in line more when he was younger. 'Eat your vegetables, or Herobrine will take you away!'"

"Hilarious." Felix said with a roll of his eyes. "Anyway, the legend says a long time ago, the world was chaotic and dangerous. Natural disasters like fire raining from the sky and winds violent enough to tear up the land itself made survival nearly impossible for mankind. You said you know that much at least?"

Blake mulled it over. He was following so far. "Right, the 'calamities.' The people got so desperate they started to pray for a savior to come, and it wound up being Notch, right?"

"It was Notch, but he wasn't alone. Another being came from the sky with him. As the story says, that second savior was none other than Herobrine. Both of them had powers over nature, and with them they brought peace to the world."

Emily had bought them each another candied melon slice. Blake didn't have the heart to deny it after it had already been paid for, so he did his best to look like he enjoyed the treat.

"Too sweet… urk…"

"Herobrine used his abilities to quell the calamities," Felix continued, "while Notch taught the humans and villagers how to survive on their own. Both were supposedly immortal, and followed that routine for hundreds of years. But Herobrine's own strength eventually went to his head. He figured he didn't have to waste his time looking after others when he could be ruling them."

Between discreetly choking down bites of the melon, he nodded.

"So he tested the limits of his abilities, and wound up creating the first mobs: spiders, creepers, and the undead. With them, he began a war against Notch and his forces."

"And I guess that war's been going to this day. Because we still have to deal with them," Blake remarked.

Felix scratched his head. "I guess so too. Notch managed to beat Herobrine after a long battle, but couldn't bring himself to kill him. The legend says they saw each other as brothers before the war began. So, Notch instead took him somewhere he couldn't hurt anyone else, and they were never seen again."

"That's… tragic, actually. Imagine having to fight your own family…"

"Not something I'd want to do," Emily said, ruffling Felix's hair. Blake stared in disbelief as she started on a third melon slice without hesitation. "Interesting story, isn't it?"

"Very. I didn't think I could've missed out on that much back home."

As he thought about the legend, however, a question nagged at him.

"Does the Usurpation also know that story? What's THEIR deal in all this?"

"Want to know something interesting, Sir Ray?"

He blinked. Was Tara about to belittle him, or was she actually trying to make casual conversation?

"…sure, fill me in."

"For starters, as you can see, Luxmouth is celebrating."

They, the three remaining troopers of Crimson Squad, and Ruby-13 (temporarily assigned under Tara) took cover at the edge of an oak forest beside a grassy plain. Dame Esme and Marshal Orion were awaiting the delivery of new models of Core tracker from Overseer Fornax's agents and would not be joining them until later, leaving the small group to keep watch for the afternoon.

The Ever-Glowing City loomed in the distance, but music and excited cheers were audible even from their vantage point. Occasionally a rocket would shoot into the air with a trail of smoke, not unlike the signal flares used in Usurpation territory. However, there didn't seem to be any practical interpretation for the multicolored sparks bursting at the apex of the launch. They looked nice, to be sure, but the colors weren't very visible in the midday sun. Someone must have been impatient to set them off.

"Do you know what it's about?" he asked her.

"I can hazard a guess. Because it's around this time of year, by their metric, that the Inlanders celebrate our exile."

Ray looked at the four troopers accompanying them. "Did any of you know this?"

Tara's grunts all shrugged, but Ruby-13 nodded. "It's true. I remember Sir Merric telling us the Day of Herobrine's Betrayal was approaching."

"Really? So, they're celebrating our ancestors' betrayal and suffering," Ray growled, "while they enjoy such simple lives? We'll make them pay…"

His gaze returned to Luxmouth, and he tightened a fist.

Everyone in the Usurpation knew the tale of Herobrine, who led their ancestors from the chaotic wastes to the Inlands where they would be safe. They also knew of Notch, the cruel overlord who roused an army to drive them away. According to the legend, the two deities had battled for supremacy until Herobrine one day decided to join Notch, tempted by the thought of using his powers for dominating those who'd trusted him. He had created monsters of his own, and the pair of tyrants had forcibly exiled all but a precious few back to the wastes.

Wherever Herobrine and Notch had vanished to in the generations since, they clearly showed no care for those they'd permitted to stay in the Inlands. The Usurpation had clawed its way to power unopposed, and while the monsters remained, the wicked duo was nowhere to be seen. With the discovery of the Genesis Cores, so named for their use in bringing about a new world for humanity, nobody would oppress the exiles again.

"Their apathy will be the downfall of the Inlands. We have endured the wastes, and are tempered for conquest. If they ever do return… they will find their precious world upheaved. And theirs will just be two more bodies added to the pile."

Lime Squad had been lost to Herobrine's abominations, and the descendants of Notch's Chosen continued to oppose Ray. His blood boiled at the mere thought.

The afternoon wore on. Ray took to pacing back and forth under the trees, trying to keep his focus sharpened for the operation to come. It would not be the day Luxmouth fell- the glorious day justice was served on this decadent society- but they would deal a major blow nonetheless.

And as small as the Usurpation strike team would be, they were well-prepared. Ray and Tara both wore new models of chestplate, featuring enchantments which masked the signatures of Genesis Cores within their wielders.

"We're about to give them the shock of a lifetime."

The colorful explosions intensified as the sun began to set. As his anticipation rose in turn, he heard a call from behind.

"There you are. Sorry to keep you waiting."

Marshal Orion and Jade Squad approached.

"Anything to report?" Orion asked Tara.

"No, sir. The celebration seems to have taken up most of their attention- we can execute the plan whenever you're ready."

"Very well. We'll proceed in two groups- Dame Esme, you will leave half of Jade Squad here to prepare our escape route. You, the rest of your agents, and Sir Ray will travel as one unit, while I will be accompanied by Dame Tara and her troopers. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" replied everyone in unison.

"Then get your shovels and pickaxes ready. Dame Tara's intel will be put to good use."

The detachment split up as directed. Ray joined Esme, who was making a final check of her team. Without a Genesis Core of her own, she was still wearing the older, unenchanted armor. She had her hood down, revealing short, sandy gray hair that reached her shoulders. He'd always found her quite pretty- not that he would dare admit it aloud.

"Marshal!" she exclaimed. "Check your tracker!"

Ray looked over her shoulder at the map, and whistled at the Industrial Division's latest product. It could monitor the positions of up to eight Genesis Cores at a time from a much further distance, and it could even identify them. His suspicions were correct; "BONEMEAL – LIGHT," "BONEMEAL – DARK," and "FIRE- LIGHT" all read as within Luxmouth's vicinity, while "GRASS – LIGHT," "ICE – LIGHT," and "WATER – DARK" weren't registering. But a surprise was in store for him: at the bottom of the list, a fourth Genesis Core was marked.

Curiously, the unaccounted Core couldn't be distinguished beyond "UNKNOWN – DARK."

"Ha ha! Looks like we'll be taking home FOUR Cores tonight!" the Marshal laughed. "Let's go."

"Maybe you'll get your pick of one," Ray said to Esme as three of her agents began to tunnel under the dirt. The remaining four walked away to prepare their own phase of the mission.

"I hope it's the Fire Core. I doubt I'm lucky enough to be trusted with whatever the unidentified one is, and the Bonemeal Cores don't sound very useful in a fight."

"You'd be surprised…" he muttered.

With evening approaching, Ray entered the tunnel behind Esme's team, ready for action.

Anxious as Celia was to leave for Tenebyss, she couldn't deny it was nice to be home for Notch's Triumph. The day had been one of merriment across Luxmouth- something the populace sorely needed in light of the war. She only hoped the other cities were able to find a similar levity.

"And those already under the Usurpation's control… please, just hold out hope and stay strong- you will be freed, I swear it."

It was customary for the Duke to tour the streets of Luxmouth's inner city district on horseback, greeting the citizens. Today, her father had taken it a step further- he visited the outer village district as well, to the delight of the farmers and fishers who gathered to see him.

"All our people matter. Nobody will be thought of as insignificant in the eyes of House Lumis," he'd once told her.

Ever dutiful, Celia had accompanied her father on her own horse, smiling and waving to the crowds until her face and arms were sore. Picking out any one face among the countless citizens was next to impossible, but she was still a little disappointed not to see Felix or his sister anywhere. Blake, she figured, must have left by then in search of his calling.

"I hope he finds success, wherever he is."

She couldn't believe it, but she missed him.

The tour had taken up most of her day, and the sun was halfway set by the time the Duke's guards finally turned to lead them back. Being surrounded by a platoon of armored and mounted knights struck Celia as lessening their relatability to the citizens, but the chief of security had insisted on a larger escort when they were so far from the palace.

"Everyone's so happy," she said to her father, beaming. "I'm relieved the war couldn't dampen their spirits today."

"An important reminder of what's at stake," he replied. "Thank you for staying with me just a bit longer. By midday tomorrow, you'll be on the road to Tenebyss, expanding our allies. I know you'll do me proud."

"Will you be okay in the war council without me?" Celia half-joked.

"Oh, I ought to be fine. Wartime or not, I've dealt with plenty of ambassadors. I know my way around political proceedings-"

There was a shout from nearby. Villagers began to scatter, fleeing into the nearby houses. Bells had been ringing all day, but this time their clattering was much less organized- much more panicked.

"What's going on?" her father asked, looking around. "Did something happen?"

Celia's heart began to pound.

"What…? But… no! No, it can't be!"

The familiar sounds were capped off by the horrifying bellow of a horn. Soldiers scrambled to ready their gear and made for the outer walls, but there was no need. With flashes of purple light and smoke, wave after wave of Illagers appeared within the outskirts of the village district itself, brandishing weapons and unleashing battle cries.

A raid had come. And once again, Celia was right in the middle of it.