[Kara] Chapter 12: Explanation and Elaboration (Patreon)

“You encountered the Soulmaster?” Kara immediately piped up when she heard what the minotaur said. Angel nodded eagerly next to her, piqued by this.

The two of them remembered their encounter with the hooded figure that had been the Soulmaster’s drone like it was yesterday. It had chased them down for a full day like an unstoppable force of nature. Eventually, Kara defeated it by taking advantage of the magical storm that plagued the Xor-In Mountains.

However, because of that harrowing experience, the Soulmaster’s name was forever burned into both their minds. Kara stared at the minotaur expectantly.

And he lowered the staff. “This one has indeed encountered the Soulmaster.”

“What happened? What was he like? Was he a machine too?” Kara inundated Zlo’tan with a deluge of questions.

The minotaur tilted his head quizzically at her. “Machine?”

“Forget about that last part,” she corrected herself. “How did you meet the Soulmaster?”

Zlo’tan knelt back onto the ground, closing his eyes. “This one was only a child, so this one does not remember much of the events that transpired. All this one remembers is one thing.”

“And what is it?” Kara asked, leaning closer.

The minotaur replied simply, “The Soulmaster was amazing.”

Now that stunned Kara where she stood. She had expected Zlo’tan to say a lot of things. She had braced herself for who the Soulmaster could be. But to praise him? She hadn’t expected that in the slightest.

“The Soulmaster saved this one when he was starving,” the minotaur continued, not noticing his audience’s shocked reaction. “Even back then, this one wondered why a human such as him would rescue a demimonster.”

Kara broke out of her stupor as she narrowed her eyes. “What’s a demimonster?”

“A demimonster is what humans classify creatures such as this one,” Zlo’tan replied as he placed a hand on his chest.

“You mean minotaurs? And what about dark elves? Or trolls?” Kara listed out various different species to him.

And he nodded in response. “All non-human creatures who have a manacore are considered to be demimonsters.”

Kara frowned at that. She recalled all the interactions she had here in Alyona so far. Even though everyone she had spoken to looked nothing like her, they behaved no differently than she did either.

“Why is anyone with a manacore considered a ‘demimonster’?” she asked, before furrowing her brows. “And wait… what’s a manacore?”

“A manacore is how demihumans learn to use magic,” Zlo’tan explained simply. “Monsters draw their magic from their monstersoul, and humans are magically empowered by the System. But minotaurs, dark elves, trolls, dwarves— they all instead use their manacore.”

“I see...”

Kara could infer that a monstersoul was similar to a dragonsoul in a way, especially with what she had seen from Zarkoth’s memories. He had also mentioned something about the System, so she knew that was how humans were given magic from He Who Had Too Long Of A Name.

But she didn’t remember any mention of a manacore. Although… she did briefly recall hearing Caius shout something about a core. Could that be related to having a manacore?

Zlo’tan continued as she was lost in thought, “And the term ‘demimonsters’ is only often used by humans. Most dark elves, trolls, and even other minotaurs do not appreciate it when this one refers to them as such.”

“Right.” Kara nodded as she heard that.

It sounded like such an incredibly dehumanizing term. In fact, it was quite literally meant to dehumanize. For humans to call any non-human that was intelligent enough to speak a demimonster—

Kara gritted her teeth as she tried to calm herself. She thought of everyone in the city she had met so far. And she couldn’t see them as anything but people.

Is this the reason why Levi is going around and causing trouble for the city? Because he doesn’t see them as people? She needed to know the answer to that. But she focused, trying to get her mind back on track.

“And the Soulmaster saved you, even though you’re a demimonster, which is why you think he is amazing?” she asked as she looked back up.

“This one is grateful to the Soulmaster. But that is not the full reason for this one’s feelings.” The minotaur shook his head as Kara and Angel exchanged a glance.

“And what does that mean?”

“The Soulmaster was truly amazing for another reason,” Zlo’tan said, shaking his head. “Because he was a human who did not wield the power of the System.”

And Kara’s brows snapped together. Angel turned towards her with wide eyes. But again, the minotaur didn’t notice the way the two of them looked knowingly at each other.

“This one has never understood the source of the Soulmaster’s power… even though the Soulmaster tried to pass his knowledge to this one,” Zlo’tan continued, and for the first time since they started speaking, there was a shift in his voice.

He almost sounded… regretful.

“The Soulmaster tried to train you?” Kara asked, her surprise evident on her face.

“Briefly,” Zlo’tan said as he closed his eyes. “But this one failed to learn the Soulmaster’s teachings. So the Soulmaster left, but as he departed, he gave a precious gem to this one.”

Kara squinted at that. “You mean a crystal that’s like on the staff?”

Zlo’tan nodded, raising the staff and eyeing the broken tip. “This one believes it is called a soulrock. This one lost his soulrock long ago, and as such, hasn’t been able to study its properties as extensively as he wished.”

“Well, I don’t know if you can glean much from our soulrock because it’s broken,” Kara said as she glanced towards Angel. “I don’t really know what happened, but suddenly, he has magic powers now.”

Angel crossed his arms and beamed proudly. Zlo’tan placed a hand on his chin.

“This one finds that interesting. An utlas bear is not supposed to be capable of casting spells. And yet, thanks to the soulrock, he has attained what no other beings in his species has ever been able to achieve.”

The minotaur stood up and began to inspect the bear cub. Angel wasn’t tiny by any means. But next to Zlo’tan, even Kara was like a baby.

“So, uh, do you know where the Soulmaster is now?” the young woman asked hopefully. “Or maybe do you know what he wants?”

Zlo’tan lowered Angel back to the ground, shaking his head apologetically. “This one knows nothing else about the Soulmaster. Sometimes, this one wonders if he dreamed it. But now, this one knows it was reality.”

“And you’re certain he was a human?” Kara eyed the minotaur dubiously.

“This one is certain,” Zlo’tan said reassuringly.

Kara wracked her mind for any other questions she could have for him. But even as she continued to interrogate him, she learned nothing.

“Are you sure the Soulmaster wasn’t called Arden?”

“This one is aware of Arden the Dragonslayer’s reputation. He is not the Soulmaster.”

“And you’re sure the Soulmaster didn’t have anyone with him who wore a full-body metal armor?”

“This one was saved by only the Soulmaster.”

“What did the Soulmaster look like?”

“This one does not remember…”

When Kara was out of questions, she drew back and folded her arms across her chest. So the only thing Zlo’tan knows about the Soulmaster is that he is amazing and uses magic outside of the System?

No— that was not all. The Soulmaster was also looking for someone to pass on his powers too. That reminded Kara of what Zarkoth was doing.

Could the Soulmaster… be in possession of a dragonsoul of his own? If that was the case, it made sense why he was after her. But that still didn’t explain how he knew she was from another world.

Kara raised her head as she dismissed her thoughts for now. There was no way she was going to figure anything out with the information she had so far. So she looked up— only to see Angel holding his staff tightly as Zlo’tan remained transfixed on the crystal tip.

“You’re that interested in the soulrock, huh?” Kara asked as she walked up to them.

The minotaur blinked, then coughed as he drew back from the bear cub. “This one believes that there is much to learn from the soulrock, despite its current condition.”

Kara rubbed her chin. “Well, I have an idea that could satisfy the both of us.”

Angel and Zlo’tan both narrowed their eyes. They both could tell where Kara was going with this.

“So you want the soulrock, and I want some proper clothes,” she said as she walked up to the minotaur. “What about if we make a deal here— I give you the soulrock and you make me my clothes?”

Zlo’tan immediately agreed, “This one believes this is an amenable trade—”

But Angel quickly disagreed. “Ngah!”

Kara blinked as she heard the bear cub whine. He clung onto his staff protectively, and she tried to placate him.

“Angel… I know you like to play with the staff when you cast a spell, but you don’t actually need it, do you?” she said, smiling kindly at him. “And look, you can keep the staff, we just have to give Zlo’tan here the broken crystal.”

“Ngh!” Angel spoke insistently, refusing to hand over the staff.

And Kara pursed her lips. At the end of the day, the bear cub was still… a bear cub. He was a young kid, and he liked his belongings, even if they practically were worth nothing.

However, Kara wasn’t going to forcefully take what was his from him. He had done so much to help her already. And more than that…

Her eyes flickered as she remembered being a child and crying as her mother took her toys from her forcefully. It was a distant memory. But the screaming and the shouting remained with her nevertheless.

“Well, if I can’t change your mind, what about a compromise?” Kara asked Angel nicely. “What if we lend the staff to Zlo’tan for an hour twice a week for him to study?”

The bear cub hesitated, but he slowly loosened his grip on his staff. He looked like he was willing to agree to this.

And the minotaur nodded slowly. “For five gold coins, this one is willing to agree to this compromise.”

“What about one gold coin, and three times a week?” Kara countered.

“Three gold coins,” Zlo’tan said, holding up three fingers. “For three times a week until this one learns from the soulrock what he needs.”

Kara considered it for a moment, before turning to Angel. “What do you think?”

The bear cub glanced between his staff and the minotaur a few times, before looking at Kara. He stared at her, then he proffered his paw slowly.

Kara grinned. “Looks like we have a deal.”

—--

“This one shall begin work on your custom clothes,” Zlo’tan said as Kara and Angel stepped out of the exit. They glanced back at him, and he bowed his head. “This one shall have them prepared by the end of the week. You can return to make your payment to this one tomorrow.”

“Thanks,” Kara said as she waved back at him. “And also an extra thanks for the information you told us too! You can also take a look at the staff tomorrow while we’re there!”

An idle thought crossed her mind as she came to a halt a few feet away from the shop. Angel looked at her, flummoxed by what she was doing.

“By the way,” she piped up, spinning back around to face the minotaur before he could return inside. “I have one final question for you.”

Zlo’tan paused, then replied simply, “This one will try to answer your question to the best of his abilities.”

“You told me about the difference between a human, a demimonster, and a monster. But what’s the difference between a dragon and all three of them?” Kara asked, tilting her head curiously.

The minotaur tapped his chin in thought. “As far as this one knows, dragons are the only beings capable of producing their own mana. They need not rely on being surrounded by an external source of mana to cast magic. Meanwhile, those who require the System, a manacore, and a monstersoul need to restore mana from their surroundings to cast magic, rather than creating it themselves.”

“I see,” Kara said gratefully. “That’s good to know.”

—--

And a week passed quickly. Most of it had been uneventful, which was a nice change of pace for both Kara and Angel. The most notable thing to have happened was the day right after they met Zlo’tan. They were on the way out of the upper tunnels to meet with him when they witnessed a fight break out between a group of orcs and a pair of dark elves.

It started off as an argument, but it quickly devolved.

“I know it was you who killed him!” one of the orcs shouted. “I saw you stalking us last night! I knew you were up to no good!”

“The only reason I followed him is because I know he’s the one who broke into my house!” the first dark elf protested.

The second dark elf added, “We didn’t kill him, but he deserved to die anyway— serves you cursed orcs right for coming in and ruining our city!”

“How dare you—” the orcs yelled.

And from there, it was just a fistfight that ended with the guards arriving. This time around, Kara stayed out of it. Mostly because she couldn’t tell who was in the wrong, but also because she didn’t want to take any more risks, since Hayder was probably keeping an eye on her. She continued to Sentinel Square, minding her own business.

After making the payment of three gold coins to Zlo’tan, Kara still had four gold coins remaining. So she was glad she ended up negotiating this deal with him. Even if she converted all her copper coins and her silver coins to gold, she still wouldn’t have enough to pay for her clothes.

The deal also ended up for the better too. While Angel had been apprehensive about spending time with the minotaur at first, the two had warmed up to each other. Zlo’tan even spent time teaching things to the bear cub that he didn’t know about himself.

The rest of the week passed. Nothing else much had happened, although Kara had tried to look a little bit into the whole situation with Levi. Unfortunately, none of the city guards would answer her questions, and she wasn’t allowed to go anywhere near the lower tunnels.

Now, it was finally time for Kara to return to the shop to collect her brand new special clothes. She was excited about that. And Angel was excited to speak with Zlo’tan again today. But as the two of them stepped out of their inn, they paused.

A figure was waiting for them right outside. A familiar figure that they hadn’t seen since the first day they arrived in Alyona. He smiled as he strode forward, speaking as smoothly as he usually did.

“Hello, Ms Kara,” a teenage elf greeted her as his pale skin somehow almost seemed to shine even in the upper tunnels. “I take it you’ve been doing well?”

“Caius?” Kara blinked when she saw him. “It’s been a while— did you resolve everything with Koros?”

“Oh, I talked things over with him on the day it happened. I’ve just been busy with other things.” Caius smiled, striding forward.

Angel made a whining noise, and Kara turned to him. He gestured towards the direction of Zlo’tan’s shop impatiently, clearly wanting no part of this conversation.

“You can go first, Angel,” Kara said as she patted him on the head. There was much she wanted to discuss with the elf now that she had already spent some time enjoying the city. “I’ll meet up with you there.”

Caius laughed, watching the bear cub sprint through the narrow streets of the upper tunnels. He shook his head as he came to a halt before the young woman.

“So I see the two of you have made some friends in Alyona,” the elf observed with a grin. “Are you enjoying it here in our Sanctuary City?”

“Well, the first few days were quite hectic, but things have calmed down since then,” Kara said as she shook her head. Then her eyes glinted as she crossed her arms at Caius. “But I take it you’re not here for small talk, are you?”

She couldn’t pretend that she wasn’t interested in hearing what he had to say. The only reason she hadn’t sought him out sooner was because she didn’t know where to find him. Now, he had found her. And it was time for them to discuss what she had been looking forward to for a while.

He smirked back at her. “You’re more astute than you look.”

“Rude,” she snorted. “But I mean, it’s quite obvious— the last time you sought me out was to talk about finding that guy who stole from your city. And now that you’re here again, you’re probably here to talk to me about helping you find him again.”

“He’s not just any guy,” Caius corrected her, raising a finger. “He’s a human thief. And his name is Levi.”

Kara rolled her eyes in response. “Yes, I remember that. So what, do you have a new lead or something on him?”

“To call it a new lead is quite… misleading. But there have been a string of murders lately that the city guards have been looking into. And they have mainly been happening throughout the upper tunnels.” Caius swept his gaze over the slums of the city as he spoke.

“And let me guess, the perpetrator behind it is Levi?” Kara said, raising a brow.

“Personally, that is what I am suspecting.” The elf nodded, before sighing. “But you see, the situation is more complicated than that. You’ve heard about the rising tensions between the orc refugees and the dark elves of the city, right?”

“Uh, I mean, I’m vaguely aware of that?” Certainly, Kara could remember witnessing more than a few instances when a group of orcs got into a brawl with a group of dark elves. But she didn’t realize how bad things were, politically-speaking.

“Well, tensions are getting worse because of these killings,” Caius said as he waved a hand dismissively. “After all, it seems that whoever is going around and committing these murders is targeting only the orcs.”

“Oh.” Kara’s brows creased understandingly. “So what you’re saying is these could be targeted attacks from a few different angry dark elves?”

“At a first glance, yes. And that’s what everyone seems to think. There’s almost no method or reasoning to these murders. They look like they can simply be random revenge killings. But I have reason to believe that they were intentionally committed to appear that way. By Levi himself.”

Caius gave Kara a knowing look. She eyed him suspiciously.

“And what makes you so certain these killings were done by Levi?” she asked after a second passed.

“Firstly, because of how methodically they’ve been killed. It barely looks like there’s ever a struggle. And secondly, is the timing of it— it has happened so quickly, dozens of orcs suddenly murdered during the last week, and he hasn’t been spotted in the lower tunnels since these killings began.”

“But you can argue that that’s only circumstantial evidence,” Kara countered. “And it could all be a coincidence.”

“That is what Hayder keeps saying. And I agree, that could all be true. If not for my third and final reason.” Caius winked at her.

And she waited. “That is?”

“The fact that the mana in the air where these killings occur is noticeably thinner,” the elf explained.

Kara just blinked in confusion at him. “Uh, I don’t get it.”

“You see,” he continued, “Levi managed to steal two artifacts when he broke into Alyona’s vault. The first is a pair of daggers with a teleportation enchantment called the Blink Blades. They are capable of teleporting back into his hands with a thought, and he is capable of teleporting to them just as easily as well.”

“Right…”

Caius wagged a finger. “But the second artifact is an Antimagic Domain.”

Kara tilted her head, intrigued by that.

“That’s how he has been able to so easily evade or kill our guards patrolling the lower tunnels. He activates his Antimagic Domain to deal with them, so they cannot fight back. And while he hasn’t used it here in the upper tunnels, there are still some residual effects from bringing it around with him.”

“And I’m guessing this effect is thinning the mana in the air around it?” Kara said, placing a hand on her chin.

“Correct.” Caius nodded at her. “I always said you were smart.”

“Just get on with it,” she scoffed.

And the elf continued, “The effects are so subtle, almost no one else is able to notice it. But I am an elf who is twice as old as even Dark Lord Koros. So my understanding of magic is beyond him, even if I am weaker than he is. And I have visited every single scene of the killing thus far. I am certain of it.”

“I see.” Kara pursed her lips. “So if you’re that confident in yourself, why not go to Koros and tell him about this? Why are you approaching me about it?”

“Because Koros is a busy man, and I want to be the one to take credit for bringing down Levi. With your help, of course. After all, we both stand to gain the most from doing this.”

That confused Kara. And her confusion must have been shown on her face as Caius explained.

“I told you, I’m an elf. They treated me the same way as they treated you when I first arrived.” The smile vanished from his face for a brief moment, before he shrugged. “And I guess I still want to earn their validation and trust, for whatever reason.”

Kara peered at him, and she could no longer read the look on his face. His usual smile returned as he proffered a hand to her.

“So what do you say?” he asked her with an expectant look. “Let’s team up to catch this human bastard for good.”

She glared at him, and he rectified his statement.

“Let’s team up to catch this thieving bastard for good?”

For a moment, Kara didn’t respond. She closed her eyes as she wondered what she would ask Levi when she met him. She wondered how she would feel, seeing a human again after so long. And she wondered if she could even bring herself to face him in battle.

But she shrugged off these thoughts as she raised her head. She smiled and gave her response, “Sure. But I do have one final question…”

“What is it?” Caius asked, spreading his arms wide. “I can answer as many questions as you want to ask.”

Kara shook her head. “What does Levi have to gain by doing this? Why go through all this trouble of trying to turn the orcs and the dark elves against each other if he just wants to leave?”

“Well…” And the elf explained as she listened.

—--

Grok was in a terrible mood. After what happened last week, where he was humiliated, beaten, and then robbed, he was for whatever reason reprimanded by his father. Even though he was supposed to be the heir of the Ironhide Clan, he was treated like he was a child. Nothing could possibly get worse for him.

Now, he was walking down the empty streets of the upper tunnels alone, no longer accompanied by any of his usual posse. His father had forbidden them from spending time with him until he reflected on what he had done. He was also disallowed from visiting a brothel for the next week, and he could not sleep with dark elf whores ever again.

“That human…” Grok gritted his teeth, remembering the blonde girl. “When I get my hands on her—”

And he paused when he spotted a figure walking alone down an alley. He recognized her in an instant. It was the dark elf prostitute that had caused all this.

“That’s right, it was all your fault,” Grok whispered as he followed her down the narrow street.

She glanced over her shoulder, having heard his footsteps. But he didn’t care. He sprinted straight at her as she opened her mouth.

“You’re—” she gasped.

And he grabbed her by the neck before she could even speak. She struggled in his grip as he held her up against a rock wall, weakly flailing and kicking, trying to get him off her.

“I’m going to make you pay for everything you’ve done to me!” Grok growled.

The prostitute eyed him in horror. She tried to reach for something at her waist, but he saw the glint. She drew a silver dagger, and he snatched it from her grip. He cackled as he tightened his hand around her neck.

“Did you just try to kill me? Do you not know who I am? I am the only son of the Elder of the Ironhide Clan! If a lowly prostitute like you dares lay even a hand on me, my father will have both of your arms cut off!”

He shouted as she squirmed in terror. Her eyes welled up, and she tried to kick him weakly. Grok snarled as he leaned closer.

“Because of you, my father punished me. So I will ensure you pay with your life—”

But he was quickly interrupted as something struck him from behind. He yelped in pain, stumbling back and dropping the prostitute. She collapsed to her knees before him, breaking out into a coughing fit. He tried to remain standing as a sharp pain burned on his neck. He opened his mouth, clutching at where his throat should be.

But he found nothing there except for blood. His eyes widened at what he saw— his innards spilling out into the ground. He dropped the silver dagger he had taken. Its clean surface was now stained red. Looking up, he met the prostitute’s confused and terrified gaze.

“H-help… me—” he wheezed out. “P-please…”

And Grok dropped to the ground. His vision grew dark as the last thing he saw was the face of a woman he just tried to kill. Before there was nothing.

Arjin stared at the lifeless body as her breathing quickened. She saw the pooling blood staining the silver dagger, and she saw Grok’s lifeless eyes. Her lips trembled.

And in the upper tunnels of Alyona, her blood-curdling scream echoed throughout.

Author's Notes:

4.4k words. What thonk?

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