The Survivor Becomes a Dungeon

Vitmori POV

I find myself kneeling beside the cracked blue core, studying the damage, and doing my best to figure out anything I could possibly do. Try as I might, I can't really discern any clear way to help it besides throwing mana into it to try to brute force a fix, but I know from experience that something like that tends to be a rather painful process for those on the receiving end of that kind of treatment.

Looking closer, I can sense a trickle of mana leaving the blue core from a smaller crack near the middle of the sphere itself. From what I can gather, instead of the whole missing chunk acting as a sort of gaping wound, it was more like a giant shell or something while the middle of the core was where the 'meat' of the core actually was.

If I had to compare it to anything, it kind of reminded me of a rubber band ball in a way. One of those was made as a toy for the gimmick of the thing, with a bouncy rubber ball in the middle and all the other rubber bands wrapped around it if that made sense. Here with the blue core, a large chunk of the 'rubber bands' had been cut away, which is bad; but then the 'rubber ball' in the middle was also cut which is worse.

Pushing my musings and comparisons aside, I turn my attention over to Reyvyre and watch as she sits on her knees across from me, her eyes closed and her head facing down to the core. She was in a sort of meditative state and I could tell she was thinking back on all kinds of information from her years of studies about various things that I'm not too sure about.

Leaving her to think for a while longer, I glance over to Orwis, meeting her nearly unblinking gaze as she intently burns holes into the back of my head. I could sense she felt generally more at ease about everything to do with me, Reyvyre, and Rita, though that did little in the face of her core essentially bleeding out mana. Her impatience and general worry were tangible, but more to the point she was just confused as to what we intended to do to actually help.

With each passing minute, I find my thoughts wondering the same thing as I look back to Reyvyre once more when she starts to shift and stir from her own thoughts. She blinked with vague surprise upon noticing my gaze before offering a token glance toward Orwis who was behind me. "Well? Do you have any ideas?" I asked while doing my very best to not sound too impatient.

At that, Reyvyre couldn't help but sigh softly before shaking her head. "I'm afraid not, Vitmori. When it comes down to it, there's not much known about repairing cores. The only studies I've come across are either about maintaining them or destroying them. There are likely not many cases actually recorded of innocent cores being cracked but not outright destroyed, so I can't offer you any specific advice."

I sighed just for the sake of sighing when I looked back over at her again. "I thought you said you had some ideas, can't we try any of those?"

Reyvyre looked slightly pained before hanging her head a little, some of her hair falling in front of her face when she shook her head once more. "My apologies Vitmori, in the end, they were just ideas. After more thoroughly looking over the damage this core has suffered, I don't think I can justifiably recommend trying any of them without putting the core at further risk. In my humble opinion, we should just put this core back on its pedestal with the zanzam tree roots, at least there it'll be stable until we can recover the staff made with its chunk from the drakewardens. If we have that, then I'm almost positive the core will be able to start properly recovering mostly on its own influence."

I nodded intently, going back to pondering the blue orb before me. I don't know why, but through either some kind of intuition or gut feeling, I can't shake the thought that there's at least something I can do to help. "Alright, so that'll keep it stable... And sure, it's been stable like this for the last few years at least. But I don't feel comfortable leaving it with what's essentially a bleeding wound. Isn't there anything that we can do at least stop it from leaking mana? Patch the crack somehow?"

Reyvyre looked more thoughtful at that, and I could tell she wasn't exactly sure what I was talking about. "What crack? Do you just want to fit an entire piece of something to fill the missing chunk of the core?" She asked, and it was only then that I realized that she may have fundamentally missed something that I had figured out.

With that in mind, I couldn't help but feel a little excited as I shook my head before beckoning Reyvyre to look closer, pointing out the thin, two-inch-long crack along what I considered to be the 'meat' of the core. "Look here, do you see that little crack around the middle of the core itself?" I asked before glancing up at Reyvyre.

She leaned in closely, her curiosity having been piqued as she studied the damaged core before spotting the innocuous little crack among the rest of the damage the core had suffered all those years ago. "Yeah? What about it? It really doesn't look like much in the face of everything else that's happening with the entire missing chunk." She reasoned, sitting back and gesturing at the whole quarter of the core that was missing.

I couldn't help but smile a bit, despite the fact we were talking about something as macabre as the injuries of what is essentially a comatose person. I was just a little proud of the fact that I was able to figure something out that even Reyvyre hadn't realized. "That's where you're wrong. That crack is specifically what is causing this core to be leaking mana, and I think that if we're able to patch it, then it might be able to start building up its reserves more efficiently again." With that said, I could see something start to click for Reyvyre as her eyes started to widen in understanding. "Do you have clams in this world?" I ask a little hopefully, wanting to try and better explain my reasoning. Even if Reyvyre has memories of my world, I don't really think she'd understand the example of a rubber band ball.

Reyvyre looked suitably taken aback by my tangent but bobbed her head politely as she brought her hand up, brushing some hair away from her face before studying the blue core some more. "We have a few types, yes." She said simply, her eyes now more thoroughly studying the crack I pointed out while she stroked her chin in thought.

"Great, so think of cores like clams." I say, gesturing to the core again, which only earned an odd look from Reyvyre as she quirked a brow at me. Choosing not to acknowledge that, I press forward with my example. "You see, with a clam, both the meat and shell are a part of them, they grow both and both have their purposes for the whole of the body. As time goes on, the clam of course grows, and the shell gets bigger, but so does the meat inside. The point I'm trying to make is that most of this core is just the 'shell' that grows and grows to accommodate more 'meat'; but the layer of the sphere with the crack on its surface is the 'meat' itself and the main body of the core. So while the 'shell' does need to be repaired, the damage to the 'meat' is the one causing the most overall trouble for the core."

Reyvyre nodded along to my example, and while I could sense she didn't really get the point in the way I was trying to make it, she understood enough. "So, all we should focus on right now is finding a way to mend the crack in the core's center and wait until the drakewardens bring the core's missing piece? That... Well, that seems like a more manageable task." Reyvyre admitted as she scratched the back of her head before leaning in close to the core once more. In the next moment, she appeared to have an idea as she started reaching into her robes, digging through a surprising number of hidden pockets before procuring a small pouch. Taking a moment to undo the knot that kept it shut, she poured it out into her palm, revealing quite a few purple shards. I couldn't help but be taken aback at the sight of them as I somehow instinctively recognized them as pieces of Lichtdren's core. I must have been much more obvious than I realized as Reyvyre suddenly appeared rather sheepish before holding the palmful of shards out to me. "It only just occurred to me I never asked if it was alright to keep these... My apologies Vitmori, it wasn't my intention to steal from you."

I simply shook my head, leaning away from the offered shards at first before sitting normally again. "Don't worry about it... I just wasn't expecting you to suddenly have some pieces of her on hand... Where'd you get them from anyways?"

Reyvyre retracted her hand as she looked over the shards in her palm once again before looking back up at me. "These are the scraps from when I made the vessel for your avatar. Even little shards like these are useful for making all sorts of tools, enchanted weapons, and magical focuses. I was hoping to experiment with them later, though perhaps they can be useful here." She offered with a sincere smile, looking back down at the shards in her palm before plucking up one of the smaller ones and placing it against the crack of the blue core. We both watched expectantly for a few moments, but nothing happened.

It was around then that Orwis started to creep closer, my wooden ears pricking at the near-silent taps of her chitinous feet slowly meandering across the stone. I could feel her concern starting to spike once we started doing stuff to her core beyond looking and talking, though she didn't do more beyond just looking on with concern.

I glance over at Orwis as she comes around the side of the core with the missing chunk, the concern plain on her face despite the nugget of trust she has at the back of her head. Offering her my best reassuring smile, I turned my focus back on Reyvyre and the core. "I think you have the right idea, though I have a feeling we may need to actually fuse the shard into the core, rather than just fitting the shard into the crack."

Reyvyre nodded in silent agreement, though I could tell she didn't really have any ideas on how to actually go about doing that, which was a surprise, to say the least.

Leaving her to her thoughts, I decided to try to do that mana-swirling technique I used to fix up Dread and Gluttony to try and fuse the shard into the crack. I am worried I might overwhelm or maybe even erase the core if I used too much mana, kind of like how I erased whatever was on that crystal in the ooze spring outside of Lichtdren's core room. So, with that in mind, I focused on conjuring a mana needle the way that Rita had shown me when we took apart the slave brands, the small sliver of nearly tangible mana appearing between my fingers as I set to work. I could hear Reyvyre questioning how I intended to fuse the pieces, but she soon went silent as I carefully needled the shard of Lichtdren's core with as little mana as possible.

I'm not sure how much time passes, but what I do know is that I'm just happy that my wooden body has no need to breathe, can't sweat, and responds to my precise instructions with no errant twitching or shaking. Slowly but surely, the purple shard becomes green due to what I believe is the influence of my mana, and the shard itself gradually loses its shape under the consistent but minute injections of mana. The whole process vaguely reminded me of melting a piece of rock candy, the liquified shard filling the crack almost seamlessly when I finally pulled the needle away and dispelled it. With the leak plugged up, I could sense a faint shift within the core and watched as the now green shard and the faintly green core crystal around the shard turned blue like the rest of the core, but that core itself still slumbered and didn't react much more than that. While I don't know much about core physiology, I think it's safe to say that this transfusion of core material was a success. At least it doesn't look to be rejecting the material.

Before I realized it, a very excited Reyvyre was at my side and shaking me by the shoulder, causing me to rock side to side as I didn't really bother to resist her. "That was amazing! How did you do that, no, what did you even do?" She asked, before looking over the core again.

Orwis for her part had approached the core itself, gingerly plucking it from the pedestal with her one good hand, holding it close to herself as she pressed her forehead to it before closing her eyes; within that moment I could feel a sensation of relief washing over her. While her core wasn't restored just yet, it had been healed and could start to build its strength back up, which was a huge improvement over their previous situation these last few years.

It took me a moment to refocus on everything around me as I hadn't realized that I had gotten into 'the zone' as it were. Rita had returned at some point, sitting beside where Reyvyre was previously sitting, a journal of some kind along with a pencil in her hands. It looks like she was taking notes, though about what I hadn't the foggiest clue. "What do you mean? I was just using a mana needle to fuse Lichtdren's core shard into this core." I finally replied to Reyvyre, having needed a moment to remember she was asking me a question.

"But how did you figure that out? How did you know what to do or that it would even work?" She pressed. Reflexively, I felt that she was almost accusing me of something or that I was doing something I wasn't supposed to, but in the next moment, I could tell she was just genuinely curious and excited about seeing something she didn't fully understand.

I couldn't help but flash a cheerful smile as I scratched at my cheek. "I'm not really sure how to explain it, but I guess you could call it a mix of intuition and a hunch. We can talk about this later, for now, we should finish things up with Orwis."

Reyvyre sighed with vague disappointment, but I could sense she was still satisfied with having watched me the entire time, along with the notes she took with Rita. Releasing my shoulders, she turned to face Orwis and flashed her a kind smile. "Now that your core is stable, let's get them back on the pedestal with the zanzam trees so they can start collecting more mana. They're gonna be getting better from now on, so don't you worry." She expressed rather kindly, speaking to Orwis in a gentle way. Orwis flinched for a moment when Reyvyre approached but was soon calm enough to even allow Reyvyre to place a hand on her good shoulder.

To think that Reyvyre could easily be so kind to someone she considered a deadly monster only a couple of days ago. It's probably only like this due to our one-sided familiarity with Orwis after watching her grow up. Not to mention Orwis isn't even in her first decade and Reyvyre has a couple of centuries on everyone here. If an old man like me is young compared to Reyvyre, then Orwis must be the equivalent of a toddler.

"Well, the day isn't getting any younger, let's get going and check in with Oururu while we're at it." I enthuse, hoping to set everyone in motion. I get a nod here and there from the mages while Orwis spins up another sling with her spider silk, securing the core behind her at the base of her humanoid half and her spider body.

Rita spoke up, looking vaguely amused as we started walking out. "The day has been over for a good while, Vitmori, just so you know." She said in a kind but teasing way.

"Really? But the sun was barely setting when we got started..." But it was clear to me just how late it was when I spotted the twin moons so high in the sky once we left the medbay. I couldn't help but wonder how many hours I worked to fuse that core shard without overwhelming the blue core. "Oh damn, it really is rather late... Have y'all eaten?" I asked while looking among the trio.

Orwis didn't verbally respond, but I could sense she was fine. Reyvyre just shrugged a bit before starting to stretch and pop her back. "Eh, I'll eat tomorrow, I have a lot of notes that need reviewing right now." She enthused happily enough while clutching the journal that Rita had close to her chest.

Satisfied with that, I turn to look over at Rita for her answer. It took her a moment to realize that I was waiting on her; she flashed a bit of a smile as she absently stretched and flapped her wings behind her. "Reonim had me eat with him and some of the others, so yeah, I got something to eat."

I was satisfied with the answer, though I could sense Reyvyre was extremely pleased with her answer for whatever reason. I didn't bother to pry, but I could tell when a mother was trying to sell the idea of her son to another girl and I definitely wasn't expecting to see that happening here.

Before long we had descended my mountain, going to the other side towards the spider's nest. Even at this late hour, we came across a few wolves here and there, dutifully following the orders I had given Legosi. I was making my way to the hole I had burned through the maze of webs when Orwis insisted I follow her, I didn't see any point in not following, so I ultimately obliged her as she now led us to a flap hidden in the wall of webs which brought us to a corridor within. Ah, I see... She wanted to use the front door instead of the shortcut I made for myself...

As we walked through the maze, she guided us through an assortment of trapped chambers and rooms specifically built for ambushes. It made me wonder how long it might have taken me to go through the maze if I had done it properly or if I hadn't set Jack to run a diversion to gather the spiders elsewhere. How would I have done it, or would I have just burned the whole place down in my impatience? It didn't take us much longer, and after crossing through another hidden flap in the wall of webs, we finally returned to the core room to see Oururu surrounded by the large spiders who were supposedly the guardians of the core room.

That was until we entered, the massive spiders all turned to see us come in before skittering over toward Orwis like excited, oversized dogs. Orwis chattered to them with a small smile on her face before holding out the core for them to see. To say the spiders were excited was an understatement as they collectively did what I could only describe as some kind of happy dance. However, the spiders soon dispersed on her orders with an almost literal skip in their steps.

While they were doing that, Reyvyre had made her way over to the zanzam trees, seemingly studying them and scratching at the bark among other things as she narrated her findings to Rita who dutifully took notes for her in Reyvyre's journal.

Leaving the mages to their studies, I approached Oururu, who regarded me with a deep bow of his head, making use of his long neck to do so without moving his torso. "Welcome back, and congratulations on your success in healing the other core." He enthused with reserved cheerfulness.

I smiled a bit and bobbed my head. "Thanks, Oururu. How about you? Have you found anything of interest around here?" I asked as I stood beside him, watching with him as more and more spiders started filling the core room, quickly becoming an arachnophobe's worst nightmare. The spiders began rhythmically moving from side to side as they encircled the pedestal in the center of the core chamber, watching closely as Orwis made a show of lifting the core above her head with her one hand before carefully setting it down and back in its pedestal again. It looked as if the bass just dropped in a nightclub as the spiders essentially danced with joy at the return of their healed core.

Oururu spoke up once the spiders got started with their thing, shrugging his shoulders before regarding me. "I didn't find much. But I did find a lot of stones under the dirt that were evenly spaced out into rows and columns... I think one of the zanzam trees was planted behind one of the stones because it's really tangled within the roots now."

It took a moment to really understand what he told me, my attention still mostly on the dancing spiders. However, it soon clicked as he shared the mental impression of what he saw and after he actually described it, I couldn't help but regard him with a quirked brow. "Are you saying we're standing in an ancient graveyard?"

Oururu tilted his head curiously, seemingly thinking about my question before bobbing his head. "Yes, that's a suitable description of what I saw."

I wasn't really sure what to say, turning to look among the dancing spiders again before scratching the back of my head. "Well, how about that? A graveyard..."