The Survivor Becomes a Dungeon

Vitmori POV

Once we actually left the maze of webs, I noticed the blue core's bubble reshape and shift around. I still couldn't sense any noticeable awareness or presence from it, so I can only assume that whatever happened had happened instinctively or reactively. Whatever did happen, the bubble kind of felt like it took up less space somehow. It certainly wasn't as wide as it was before, though I could feel that it was more of a sphere with half of it under the ground.

Regardless, we made the hike to my mountain quickly enough, and I could feel Orwis' eyes on my back as she watched my every move. While she wasn't overtly anxious or suspicious of me, I could sense she still had her doubts and anxieties and was second and triple-guessing herself with every passing moment.

When we crossed through my bubble, I could feel her get startled at the size of my bubble as she looked around with intense curiosity. But as we ascended the mountain itself, I felt her curiosity turn to confusion as she looked around some more, checking out the array of stairs spread across my mountain before looking at me again.

"What's the matter?" I finally asked during our ascent, looking back at her as I couldn't help but wonder what exactly had her all confused.

She took another moment to consider her thoughts, chittering out something I didn't verbally understand, but her intent was made clear with her thoughts.

"Because I didn't know I was supposed to be building a labyrinth or maze of some kind... Also, what's a spawner?" I asked, glancing back at her curiously.

She felt even more confused at the notion of a core of my strength supposedly not knowing the fundamentals of dungeons. Even she knew that this is supposed to be a common practice for dungeons, at least according to the eavesdropping she's done on dungeon delvers. As for what spawners are, she did her best to describe them, but she couldn't really tell me the 'how' in regards to how they're made or how they do what they do.

It was interesting stuff to hear about, to say the least, but regardless there wasn't much I could do to act on this information without knowing the details about spawners in particular. But at the end of the day, I don't have any plans on actually making a labyrinth or maze. That just doesn't appeal to me.

Eventually, I led her into the med-bay, the room was mostly empty save for some sleeping areas compromised of elevated slabs of stone draped in animal skins for padding. I go about setting out a pedestal for the blue core, just using my old one since I hadn't taken the time or even needed to take it apart for the materials. Looking over at Orwis, I gestured to the pedestal and offered her a bit of a smile. "You can set up in this room for now, so feel free to make yourself comfortable as you see fit. I need to meet with Reyvyre and Rita so we can figure out how to best help your core."

Orwis studied the room intently, slowly approaching the pedestal I had set out before looking at me. I could still sense a healthy level of apprehension, yet she still seemed to realize that nothing bad had happened so far and it would be unlikely for something bad to happen by now. I stood and watched curiously for another moment, but once it was clear to me that she wasn't going to relax or do anything else until I was physically gone, I quickly made my way out of the med-bay and descended my mountain.

Tapping into my bond with the others, I track Rita and Reyvyre, sensing them as they make their way down to Lichtdren's core chamber.

By the time I got down there, Rita was examining the core chamber with a head full of academic intrigue. Reyvyre, for her part, was carefully collecting the ancient, desiccated remains of the electrocuted elf to take home with her as she had wanted. Upon spotting me, Reyvyre offers a strained smile, between the discovery of the magic apples and the grim work of corpse retrieval, she was a mixed bag of emotions right now. "Good to see you Vitmori. I suppose you're going to ask what I think we should do to help that blue core?" She asked while doing her best to pull the armor off the corpse so she could give her a proper ceremonial send-off later.

I bob my head, intent on giving her the space she needed and wanted while she worked, though the topic still weighed heavily on my mind. "I still want to help the core, though what you said does give me pause. If cores are strictly monitored as you told me, how did this one manage to give its handlers the slip for so long? I don't think a kill squad would be satisfied with simply maiming a core and not giving chase if it was officially sanctioned to be taken out. At the end of the day, if it deserved to die, I'll have no qualms about putting it, Orwis, and all of the spiders down. However... If there's that slim chance that it didn't deserve its current fate, shouldn't we be doing our best to aid them?"

Rita had of course overheard the conversation, making her way over to more openly listen in as she glanced between me and Reyvyre, though not contributing anything more than her presence at this point.

Reyvyre sighed heavily, my words having an effect as she mentally considered the possibilities as well. She didn't say a word at first, just focusing on putting away the equipment and the corpse for now. Once she had done so, she stood, brushing her hands off on her robes before casting me a sideways glance. "You have a point, if the core cracking was officially sanctioned, then there's no way that the spider scion could have escaped with the majority of a still-living core." She admitted as she ran her fingers through her hair thoughtfully.

I couldn't help but flash a bit of a smile as I considered what else I knew about the other core. "Jack mentioned that the spiders took over the area of the forest around the Evertree just around three years ago at the height of winter."

Reyvyre looked confused at first, mouthing the word 'Evertree' before realizing what I was talking about. "Ah, you mean the Zanzam trees? The birds had a name for the trees before they were in your service? How... Delightful." She enthused, that little piece of information managing to wrangle a small smile on her face for a moment before she furrowed her brows in thought. "Three years ago? Well, three years ago I was still in Ferodias' service during the final run of the Unification wars. Perhaps something happened during that time to cause the core to be displaced and damaged at some point. But that's assuming it came from the north." She considered it as a possibility before looking over at me.

"Alright, so what do we need to do to try and confirm these details? Run to one of those guilds or something and request info on a blue core?" I ask curiously, glancing between Reyvyre and Rita to look for a suggestion from either of them.

Rita smiled a bit as she piped up with her suggestion. "How about we just dreamwalk their memories? That should provide us with the answers we need."

Reyvyre looked taken aback by that suggestion, though the more she thought about it, the more she found herself agreeing with the idea. She spoke up soon enough, having considered the suggestion more thoroughly than I could have. "Well, thanks to Vitmori, we know it can be done on dungeon cores, so we should at least be able to make the attempt. The only caveat is that with how damaged the core is, we probably won't be able to get the full picture, it very well could be that the memories we need to see won't even be accessible. But with that in mind, if we're able to understand the personality of the core as a whole, we should be able to at least infer why it would've been assigned to be cracked."

"If we're worried about the damage being a problem, how about we dreamwalk Orwis' memories?" I suggested, glancing between the two mages. "She may be in relatively bad shape, but her mind is whole and stable. She also probably wouldn't even object or resist if we tell her it's for the sake of her core."

At that, the two mages share a glance and nod in agreement. "That sounds like the safer choice, for all of us." Reyvyre commented after another moment.

I couldn't help but flash a small smile at that before looking over at Lichtdren's broken core. "So how should we go about actually fixing the little blue core?" I asked as I looked to Reyvyre again since she was the one who mentioned having ideas on how to do it.

Reyvyre looked vaguely surprised by the question, tilting her head a little as she watched me. "Are you sure you want to take the time to set that up already? I thought we were going to dreamwalk and check their scion's memories to see if the core is even worth repairing."

Now it's my turn to be confused as I looked between them. "Have you never heard of innocent until proven guilty? As far as we're concerned, that blue core didn't deserve to be destroyed, so we should have the method to fix them ready so we can commit the resources as soon as we have our answer." I'll be the first to admit that I haven't always practiced this, especially as of late. But I'm in both a place of power, and have a comfortable sense of stability where I can safely practice that ideal, so I shall do just that.

I could sense both Rita and Reyvyre felt uncertain about my statement, which was concerning, but neither of them felt the need to argue against my reasoning as Reyvyre looked around the chamber thoughtfully. "Very well Vitmori, like I said, I have ideas, but nothing truly concrete." She advised as she beckoned us to follow her.

Isaak POV

The world felt like... So much more. He wasn't sure how else to describe it. His senses were still rather reactive, but he could now open his eyes in the presence of flame light and carry on normal conversations without shattering his ears; with that said, talking too much was still a little overwhelming so he spoke as little as possible for now. The food situation also dramatically improved, having since upgraded to fire-grilled meat seasoned with salt. Despite such a simple meal, he was able to enjoy the complexities of flavor that were previously unknown to him thanks to his newly heightened senses.

From last night and throughout the day today, he had been learning how the drakewardens meditated, a few different variations when it came to recovery and development; as well as a method that he could use to meditate with a drake if he managed to qualify for the honor of becoming a drake rider. All in all, he was starting to come to terms with his development.

He still needed to be tested outright, and according to Joli, they also needed to perform a more thorough examination of his body to see what sort of changes he's undergone, beyond his senses and the increase in his musculature. While he wasn't sure what the examination would entail, what he was excited about was finally getting to go outside again. He was meant to get washed up in the river and be tested on handling himself around others in a crowded place, which meant he was allowed to eat around the others back in the Haven.

If Isaak was being honest with himself, these last few days dragged on for what felt like weeks, and he was sorely craving interaction with others. That was not to say that Joli or Lars was poor company, but there was only so much to do when he could hardly even speak for most of the time.

Lars decided to stay with the drakes in the training cave, helping pad and maintain the nest for the duo of drakes who were still brooding the eggs they had given to Vitmori. From what Isaak could gather, the eggs weren't due to hatch for at least a month or perhaps longer, but after being granted mana due to being promised into Vitmori's service, the drakewardens had no idea what to expect when it came to how much sooner or perhaps even longer it'll take for the eggs to be fully developed.

Before long, he was following Joli down the street of the fake village. He had heard from her what Vitmori told her and Lars, how this place was a recreation of his old home. It was interesting to look at for sure, but he didn't really have much else to say about it. As they entered the chamber just outside the training area, they came across Vitmori along with Reyvyre and Rita as they discussed something about core repair. He didn't really understand most of what was said since it was beyond him, but he figured it was no business of his anyhow.

That said, Joli approached as Vitmori and the others noticed the two of them. The half-elf lowered her head in a show of respect before offering a concerned look to Vitmori. "Good day Vitmori, and good day to you Mage Reyvyre, Mage Rita." She expressed politely when she turned her attention to Vitmori and stood tall once again. "I'm glad to see you are looking well. You're certainly better dressed for sure." She mused kindly before continuing. "Forgive my eavesdropping, but I overheard you are trying to repair a damaged core. Were you attacked? Is there any way I can help?" She offered, seeming rather sincere as far as Isaak could tell.

Vitmori flashed a bit of a smile and shook his head. "I'm fine, it's not my core that is damaged." He explained simply. Though Joli only looked confused by that statement when Vitmori decided to continue as he appeared to have an idea. "Say... Tobias said your order has put down seven murderous dungeons in the last couple of centuries, is that right?"

Joli still looked relatively confused but pushed forward as she bobbed her head. "Yes Vitmori, the Drakewardens have had to intervene and provide aid against seven notable dungeon cores around the world that could not be put down by their local guilds or nations."

Vitmori nodded intently, rubbing his chin in apparent thought. "So it's likely you would hear about such things, like when cores are slated for cracking?" He asked, glancing back at Reyvyre and Rita who both looked interested in what Joli had to say.

Joli nodded once more as she looked up at Vitmori. "Yes Vitmori, we do tend to look into those sorts of things on the off chance our services can be offered."

Vitmori flashed a grin as he bobbed his head. "Excellent, then would you have heard anything about reports of a murderous dungeon in the north? A blue one with spiders?" He asked before snapping his fingers as he remembered something. "This would have been around three, maybe four years ago. So don't worry if you don't remember anything right away."

Joli looked rather surprised at the specifics provided as she scratched the back of her head in consideration. "A blue core who uses spiders?" She repeated back, starting to shake her head before seemingly remembering something. "I don't know about the core specifically... However, I do remember a battle with a county's fortress during the unification war." She mentioned as she looked at Vitmori once again. "A trio of spell-slingers were keeping our forces at bay with considerably powerful magic. They weren't especially skilled as far as I could tell, yet they were able to last for a surprisingly long time in a prolonged battle despite the rate they were tossing mana at us. After the battle, it was discovered that they were using a staff made with a rather large chunk from a blue core. Despite the materials used to make it, the staff didn't do much beyond reducing the mana needed to cast their magic."

"Such a waste." Reyvyre commented, just shaking her head upon hearing how the core piece was used.

Rita and Joli nodded in agreement at Reyvyre's words. Though Joli looked more thoughtful once again. "If I recall, our order was allowed to keep the staff as a trophy due to our contributions."

Vitmori smiled at that as he looked over to Reyvyre. "How does that sound? If we're able to use the original piece of its core, we should be able to repair it more easily, no?"

Reyvyre nodded once at that. "It would certainly make the process safer for the core in general, however, we haven't even learned if it's worth putting back together." She said, seemingly chastizing Vitmori a little.

Vitmori merely shook his head at that. "Again... Innocent until proven guilty, besides, discussing how to go about fixing it costs nothing but our thoughts. It's hardly a waste to consider the ideas."

Joli piped up, looking a little lost and unsure for a moment as she listened to them talk. "I'm sorry, are you saying what I think you're saying?" She asked, looking at Vitmori curiously.

At that, Vitmori smiled a bit. "Yeah, we found a dungeon core in my forest along with its scion. I would like to repair it, but Reyvyre wants to make sure it isn't murderous. Even though I don't get that feeling from it, we're going to be dreamwalking its scion's memories to see what sort of core it is and how it ended up getting cracked."

Joli looked fairly surprised as far as Isaak could tell, but she nodded intently at that. "I see... Well if it is not too much trouble, I would like to be notified of your findings. If it was not murderous as you suggested, yet was still cracked, then an investigation should be launched as to why the loss of a beneficial core was permitted to happen." She explained dutifully, lowering her head in respect once more.

Vitmori smiled kindly and nodded once. "Sure, no problem, I'll make sure to let you know as soon as we have an answer." He then looked over to Isaak, giving him a once-over before smiling a little more as he decided to change the subject. "You're looking remarkably better than when I last saw you, in more ways than one." He then turned to address Joli once again. "Is it safe to assume you'll be starting the next part of his training?"

Isaak could feel his cheeks flush with a little bit of pride, satisfied that even Vitmori was able to notice the results of his efforts. He looked at Joli as well, wondering what she had to say as she flashed a smile. "He's taking a break for tonight, but yes, tomorrow we'll be starting his movement training and exploring the best way for him to use his mana heart. You are of course invited to observe and partake in this training as we previously discussed."

Vitmori bobbed his head again, having heard what he wanted to hear as he looked between the two of them. "Great! I look forward to the lesson." He enthused almost excitedly as he flashed a charming grin. With that said, Vitmori dismissed himself, followed by Rita and Reyvyre as they ascended the stairs first.

Isaak looked after them, taking a step to follow, but when he noticed that Joli hadn't moved he stepped back to her and waited as he watched her curiously.

Joli of course noticed his staring and met his gaze as she smiled a little conspiratorially. "This is a good opportunity for us to earn more of Vitmori's favor. I highly doubt the order will be traveling with any of our trophies and artifacts, so we'll need to get in contact with them to bring the staff so we can have it ready just in case Vitmori needs it. Even if he doesn't, it might still make a suitable gift since he'll then have the whole core anyway." She explained.

Isaak could see where she was coming from, giving her a nod in understanding as he glanced back up the stairs before looking back at her.

Joli tapped her chin thoughtfully before smiling some more and waving Isaak to follow her again. "Come along, let's go tell Lars what we learned." She instructed as they went right back into the training room.