The Survivor Becomes a Dungeon

Vitmori POV

With the current pressing matters having been resolved, I was tempted to just head back to my mountain to practice handling my magic until the drakewardens were ready to start their lessons with Isaak. However, the fact that we're currently standing in a maze of webs that were built by giant spiders on an ancient graveyard that apparently had extinct magic trees specifically planted here... Well, let's just say my curiosity was more than a little piqued.

As the spiders continued to celebrate and dance around their core, I made my way over to Reyvyre, beckoning for Oururu to accompany me before speaking up. "So Reyvyre, what do you know about these magic trees? I believe you called them zanzam trees?" I asked leadingly while leaning up against the trunk of one of them.

Reyvyre took a moment to finish dictating one of her observations to Rita before looking up at me, a clear air of excitement about her as she stood tall and gestured to the biggest tree of the trio. "That's right Vitmori, these trees are known as zanzam trees, once thought to be extinct after the bloody political revolution led by Matriarch Shaxina Ernimash." She explained before looking up at the trees with a small smile and sighing softly as she started recalling the history she had learned during her studies. "She was mainly known by her rather unfortunate moniker, the Widow. She had been a once widely respected and even revered elven mage, one of the few elves to have etched a fifth mana ring around their heart which allowed her to be both the most powerful and longest-lived mage of her time."

Reyvyre then took a step back from the zanzam trees and crossed her arms in consideration. "In the last five hundred years or so, Elven society as a whole has been run by an oligarchy of Elders who convene once a decade to discuss worldly matters and how we choose to react or if we even will react. It's a system that is still being fleshed out, but for the time being, it has worked fine." She explained in a sort of tangential way before glancing over at me.

I didn't really know where she was going with this, but she had my rapt attention for now. Even Rita and Oururu seemed intrigued as they listened along rather intently. "And what about the time before that?" I asked, guessing she was waiting to be prompted at this point.

Reyvyre bobbed her head in response to the question before continuing. "Before then, we were ruled by what would be considered a line of god-kings from a single family that rose to power over three thousand years ago. Their whole motif was of being descended from a lineage of the god of the sun." She explained, sounding frankly dismissive of the whole idea. "I don't want to get too into it, but their power was overstated and not particularly all that great in the grand scheme of things. Sure, the early generations of the bloodline from the first thousand or so years may have been the real deal, but ultimately they ruled by tradition rather than out of anything they earned or deserved."

I nodded along, though I just had to ask as I wasn't too sure where she was going with all this. "So what does all that have to do with zanzam fruits and the Widow?"

Reyvyre smiled kindly before nodding. "Sorry, there's just a lot of context to explain, history, especially for us elves, is never simple." She mused before continuing. "Zanzam trees were historically managed by the family of god-kings, the trees, and fruits having been gifted to them by a rather powerful human wizard of their age as a dowry of sorts, he was a family friend to them, not to mention a lover to one of the princesses. It is said they were a favorite of his, and while he tried to say the name of the fruit, there was supposedly a mix-up in the translation and thus we were left with the name zanzam."

It was at that comment that I had a sort of realization and I couldn't help but laugh with amusement. Doing my best to stifle the laughter as I managed to wrangle it down to a hearty chuckle. Reyvyre and the others looked on with curiosity, and I just grinned, managing to physically stifle the laughter before sighing with delight just for the sake of sighing. "I think I have an idea of what the name that ancient human wizard was trying to tell your ancestors." I say, doing my best to calm down as a bemused grin basically glued itself to my wooden face.

Reyvyre looked fairly surprised by that, if not a little doubtful, but she gave me a nod and gestured for me to continue as she offered a smile. "Oh really? Well, what was the name then?"

I smiled a little more before needlessly clearing my throat. "I believe the name they were trying to tell you was manzana. It's Spanish for apple, which is what I recognized your zanzam fruits to be." I couldn't help but chuckle again as I wiped at tears of laughter that weren't there. "Though how your ancestors managed to butcher manzana into zanzam is a complete mystery to me."

Reyvyre, for one, looked rather taken aback by that bit of info when she started getting rather excited as she gently plucked her journal out of Rita's hands and flipped to a different set of pages before taking down some fresh notes, as she scribbled things down, she had her own realization as she glanced back over at me again. "Wait... Does that mean that elven society as a whole was influenced by a human from another world? Like you?"

I shrugged a little bit, not exactly sure how influential the human in question was. "Beats me, how important were those zanzam fruits?" I ask simply as I settle back against the trunk of one of the trees again.

Reyvyre had to consider her words for a moment before just looking rather stupified as she reflected on history as she knew it. "With the introduction of that wizard's apparently rather special bloodline and the zanzams, elves as a whole entered into an era of growing influence that allowed us to take steps to expand into other settled continents and on some more dangerous lands, allowing us to grow so far while remaining unified under one banner. The zanzams alone helped the family of god-kings regain the strength of the old god-kings, meditating and consuming the fruits in such great quantities that they were able to etch their fifth mana rings with far greater ease than what was normal."

I nodded in understanding, even though I didn't understand much of anything in regard to how hard it is to develop rings. After all, I already have three rings of mana swirling around in my core and I haven't been here for all that long. Then again, mana could just work differently for me in general if I consider the fact that I'm technically supposed to be running a labyrinth of some kind, no doubt something like that would be rather expensive to set up and maintain. Now that I think about it... I've broken and used entire rings of mana for some of my more extreme feats of magic, like when I rebuilt Zasutir or created brand new souls for the Sinners and Dread... I vaguely remembered seeing a panel when I first spoke to that feminine voice that's been watching me, something along the lines of consuming souls or something... If I consider how many people and animals I've killed so far since coming here... Well, that could also help explain my rate of growth.

Reyvyre thankfully didn't realize my ignorance at the gravity of having five rings of mana or at how difficult it supposedly was to get to that point as she looked up and regarded the trees while looking among the fruitlets. "All that to say that when the Widow's children and grandchildren were all killed due to some foolish political intrigue, she emerged from her self-imposed isolation and stormed the god-king's castle, burning everything to the ground and destroying the ancient household along with their entire court and the entire orchard of zanzam trees. The only surviving sources of the fruits were those that were preserved and made into alcohols or candied into syrups and other long-lasting treats which were then magically preserved to last even longer, only to be sold at exorbitant prices."

Well, that sudden tangent into the history of these magic apples was sudden enough to give me whiplash. It took a moment for me to consider my words before speaking up again. "Wait... So if that whole family was known for also having mages and the like who also had five rings of mana, how could they all be wiped out by a single elf who also only had five rings? Not to mention, are these zanzam fruits truly that potent?"

Reyvyre smiled a bit as she considered my questions, and I could sense her taking a moment to consider her words again. "Let me put it in perspective for you... Who would be stronger in a straight-up fight? You with a knife and your years of experience? Or a fool who barely knows how to handle a weapon, but said fool has a very strong gun with lots of ammo."

I couldn't help but frown just a little bit at that example, I've lost a lot of good people to 'fools with guns', but regardless I mentally shook my mild disapproval and considered her question more seriously. "More often than not, I'd likely be able to kill the fool, getting away with few if not no injuries from the encounter."

Reyvyre bobbed her head expectantly before continuing. "Now imagine you also had the strong gun and lots of ammo going up against a group of fools with similar weapons, how would you fare?"

I tilted my head side to side in consideration for a bit. "With a healthy mix of luck and skill, I'd say I would be able to kill most if not all of them, getting away with a few minor injuries and probably at least one serious one if it came to a straight-up fight." I'm not one to go charging in the front after all, and usually, I'd never let myself get caught in a straight-up fight, as that's often the fastest way to get yourself killed. "So what you're getting at, is the Widow was a skilled warrior facing a group of fools?" I asked, at least getting a better picture of things now that she's painted the scenario this way.

Reyvyre nodded intently. "That's how the battle historians seemed to break it down. The difference between the god-kings, their guard, and the Widow, was that the Widow was the product of true effort and talent, having mastered her mortal form and control over her mana heart and rings for centuries by that point in her life. Whereas the god-kings only had the volume of mana to match her, without nearly enough combat experience or skill to fend her off. The guards themselves were able to put up a fight, but unfortunately for them, she was an unparalleled genius of her era."

She then looked back up at the fruitlets before looking back down at me again. "As for the potency of the fruits? Well, yeah, they're pretty effective in terms of mana recovery, historically recorded to be the equivalent of a mana potion. With further refinement of the fruit into other concentrated products and proper meditation techniques or physical training, it could make a day of effort equal to at least a week's worth of work. The god-kings jealously guarded the fruits in their last few centuries, consuming eight fruits for every two which were allowed to be dispersed into high society or be auctioned off in certain markets."

I nodded once more, looking at the magic apples once again before absently scratching at my cheek for no real reason. " I see, well I heard an apple a day would keep the doctor away, but that's just excessive..."

That earned me an odd look from Reyvyre, but she didn't linger on the thought for long as she looked the tress over. "What I can't figure out, is how these zanzam trees made it all the way out here. They're more than several centuries old if I'm reading the bark right, so they were likely planted here before the fall of the elven god-kings and even before Lichtdren was destroyed." She explained, looking more contemplative as she placed her hand against the bark.

"Perhaps we'll find a clue on the gravestone tangled under the roots of the tree." I offered, gesturing to the base of the tree. "According to Oururu, we're standing in the middle of a graveyard."

Reyvyre nodded along, and I could tell she was only barely listening while thinking about other things. After a couple of moments though, she finally processed exactly what I said as she looked over at me and then Oururu curiously. "Wait... What? A graveyard?" She parroted thoughtfully.

I flashed an amused smile once she started paying attention again. "That's right, a graveyard." With that said I look over to Oururu and place a hand on his shoulder, tapping into the connection of our bond. "Oururu, could you please look at the gravestone? Let's see what it says." Oururu bobbed his head in silent compliance as he closed his eyes, his mana swirling within his body when his perspective shifted and moved toward the tree.

Looking through his eyes, we quickly found the gravestone in question, tangled in the roots of the tree while submerged in the dirt like all the other gravestones. His gaze shifted around for a few moments, going this way and that until we managed to get a good look at the face of the gravestone when I started narrating my findings to Reyvyre and Rita. "Oh? There's... Three different languages on this thing. The common tongue, an elvish dialect, and German. So... Two people are buried here, an elven man by the name of Elzalio Bravstralis, looks like he was 324 when he died. Listed as a loving husband and trusted ally. The second person... is Wanda Bravstralis. I can make out some words in German that describe her as a friend, confidant, and best fly...? No... Flyer? She was 276 when she died and... Oh... Looks like she died the year after Elzalio."

There wasn't much else to look at, and I couldn't translate the rest of the german writing on the gravestone anyway, so I pulled away from Oururu, looking through the eyes of my avatar once again before offering him a small smile. "Thanks for the help."

Oururu appeared thoughtful, still staring down at the hidden gravestone for a few more moments before looking over at me and bobbing his head again. "You're welcome, Vitmori, it was my pleasure." He said politely, though when he thought I wasn't looking anymore, I could sense him looking the gravestone over again.

"So, do you happen to recognize the name Elzalio Bravstralis?" I asked, looking over at Reyvyre once I was done with Oururu.

Reyvyre, for her part, looked vaguely annoyed. Though she was clearly playing it up more than she actually felt as she scoffed and shook her head. "It's not like I know every elf out there Vitmori." She huffed before smiling a bit as she scratched the back of her head. "But I suppose I could research him in the bloodline registry, he'd likely be vaguely important, maybe even affluent, or perhaps notorious if he somehow managed to not only get his hands on zanzam fruit but their seeds as well, which almost never left the grasp of the god-kings."

I nod intently, looking out to the swarm of spiders who were still eagerly celebrating their core, not paying us any mind whatsoever at this point. Orwis did happen to make eye contact with me, despite being in the thick of it as the spiders bobbed up and down or danced. She simply offered a small smile, one that managed to reach her eyes before giving her attention back to her spiders.

Glancing back over to Reyvyre and Rita, I quirk a brow while tucking my thumbs into my pockets. "I think I'm done here for now, I'll be returning to my mountain and practicing with my magic until morning; what will you ladies be up to?"

The two mages shared a look before smiling a bit as Reyvyre spoke up. "We'll be reviewing our memories of what we saw in Orwis' dungeon. I want to see if we can set up that strange summoning circle we saw and figure out if we're able to make a spawner." She explained, though their excitement was clearly mounting as she took up her journal from Rita and began preemptively looking over her notes. "Quite frankly Vitmori, nobody has ever actually dreamwalked a scion as we have, let alone observed a core actually getting their scions and setting up their spawners. Even if we never actually share our findings, it's exciting to think that we may be the first people to actually study these in any actual capacity." She enthused as the sense of unfiltered joy and delight just exuded from her.

While I didn't really get it, I could appreciate that it was clearly important to them. So I nodded once more before flashing another smile. "Very well then, I'm looking forward to seeing the fruits of your research." I say while doing my best to match their enthusiasm even though I didn't fully understand the weight of it all. The duo made their way off first, walking out of the maze this time as the ceiling to the web maze had already been covered up with a fresh patch of webbing at this point.

Letting them get a head start so we're not awkwardly following each other after having said our goodbyes, I hang around the blue core's chamber for a while longer, turning my attention over to Oururu who was still zoned out and looking over the various gravestones again. I have a feeling he's studying them more intentionally now that he has a better understanding of what they are. I watch him for a while longer before leaving him to it for now, he's obviously got something on his mind and I shouldn't interrupt that until he's ready to talk about it.

I eventually made my way out of the maze, having gotten just a little lost on my way out of the place. Now walking through the moonlit forest, I can't help but let my thoughts wander back to the gravestone. I had made one for Skylar once she moved on, her final resting place being that idyllic forest close to the lake. I wonder if anyone made a grave marker for me? Do they even know I'm actually dead yet? Was there enough to recover or is my half eaten corpse stumbling around somewhere? I sigh for no real reason, save for the sake of sighing and shake away the thoughts. I ought to get to training sooner rather than later so I don't have to linger on these thoughts for too long.