FINAL CORE - Chapter 114 (Patreon)

Dear Diary,

I made a decision yesterday that I'm not sure I'll be able to come back from. But I had to do it. I couldn't bear the thought of spending the rest of my life as an enchantress.

So I did something crazy. I stole my father's old bow from the attic and packed it in my bag before leaving for the magic academy. I know my mother would be furious if she found out, but I had to bring it with me. It's the only thing that gives me any hope of following my dreams.

I'm not sure how I'm going to hide it from my mother and the other students at the academy. But I'll figure something out. I have to. I can't give up on my dreams now.

I'm terrified of what the future holds, but I'm also excited. I have a chance to make my own path, even if it means going against my mother's wishes.

Wish me luck, diary. I'm going to need it.

Sincerely,

Yours truly

~ Diary entry of a young girl, living in the western city

_________________________

Taishi-shi

Vildt (Rabbit), Male, Priest of Isaiah

Location: The Far Off Eastern Continent

The magical barrier pulsates, throbbing with wild, chaotic energies, as the boy screams, pushing against it with both of his hands and all of the weight in his body. The monster on the other side lashes, screaming and wailing, against the magical wall with an old hand axe, its small hat, made up of what looks like red leather, flopping around as it bares its razor-sharp teeth in anger.

Red-caps, a smaller and far more violent off-shoot of goblins, inhabit these forests. They’re carnivorous swarm monsters that always move in packs and are absolutely feral towards anything that shows any amount of weakness, even their own.

He screams.

(Taishi-shi) used: [Pulse]

The magical barrier presses forward inches more, filling the cave with a sickly cracking noise as the small monster is crushed against the stone wall by the magical barrier. Blood drips down from the broken corpse. His sensitive rabbit’s ears pick up a sound to the right.

(Taishi-shi) used: [Hover]

The boy shoots up off of the ground and turns as fast as he can. The jagged axe half-misses, still swipes through his robe and rips, rather than cutting, through his outer thigh. He winces, blood spraying everywhere as he flies back, having lost his coordination, his hurt leg kicking up as he falls onto his back while still hovering over the ground. The attacking monsters take their opportunity to lunge towards him, as his good leg presses against the blood-smeared wall.

Using all of the strength in it, he kicks off, flying backwards through the cave, coming to a graceless halt on the far wall, but being far enough away to survive for another moment and return to his feet, blood streaking down his leg.

(Taishi-shi) has used: [Minor Heal]

• Restored to {89}% HP
• Soul Points: 09/37

He pants for air, looking at the pack of red-caps that block the entrance to the cave he had unwisely followed them into. While some of them are still focused on him, others snarl and lash out as they tear into their crushed brethren, hacking at him with their axes and eating him where he lies.

They’re carnivores. Red-caps will never eat anything but meat.

He looks around himself, searching for anything in their den that he can take back with him.

But there’s nothing. The monsters seem to have had no success as of late.

— Until he wandered into their cave.

Taishi-shi looks back ahead at the approaching swarm, their mischievous eyes glinting in greedy hunger.

Should he run? Maybe he can fly past them?

They come closer.

No… If he gets past them and runs away, they might track him back to the church. He’ll have to fight them and kill them. Isaiah teaches that killing is justified if it means to save your own from the grasp of the darkness in the world.

The boy looks around himself, picking up an old, rusty sword from their horde. He’s never used a sword before.

But now the day has come.

Taishi-shi lifts the blade as the red-caps rush forward towards him.

Isaiah is with him.

_________________________

Dungeon Core Yovel

???, ???, Dungeon Core

Location: ???

“Where the fuck am I?” asks Yovel, looking around itself. It was in the city with Perchta with the dungeon-breech underway, and then…

— Yovel hits against a wall, feeling the ground beneath it shake and wobble.

“It’s awake,” says a muffled voice from outside.

“Hey! Dick-heads, let me out of here!” yells Yovel, looking around itself. “The fuck?” The dungeon-core turns its head, looking through a small crack that lets in a vague stream of soft light from the night. “Am I in a fucking box?!” yells the dungeon-core, hammering against the walls of the container as the carriage rattles on.

“Subdue it,” orders a man. “I don’t want it to move an inch,” he says. “We’ll never get a chance to capture a dungeon-core ever again in the next twenty generations.”

“Yes, High Sanguimancer Shahnameh,” replies a man.

Yovel clenches its fists, trying to use its magic.

But nothing happens.

It’s too far outside of its dungeon’s territory, and while, usually, this would be fatal for a dungeon-core, because it initiated the breech and allowed an escape for every entity inside, including itself, it’s perfectly okay for it to go as far away as it wants.

— It just doesn’t have access to any of its dungeon-magic.

“…Shit…” mutters Yovel beneath its breath. The humans have it.

The lid opens up, and it turns its head to look at the top of the large crate that a man now hangs over, his hands glowing with magic. He’s a priest of the humans’ Holy-Church.

It grits its teeth in anger, jumping against the wall of the box and then up towards the man, baring its teeth, which are as sharp as broken glass.

(Khwaday) has used: [Sleep]

Yovel thuds against the wall, flopping back down onto its back and staring up at the man, who then slowly closes the lid, returning it to darkness just as its eyes close.

“…Fuck me…” mutters the dungeon-core in exasperation, pretty sure that this is going to go terribly wrong, just as its eyes grow dark.

The carriage and the magical researchers of the Holy-Church’s research division follow a series of old back-roads, heading towards the south-east of the continent, where they can do their work in peace.

By anyone outside of that place Yovel the dungeon-core is never seen again, and is only whispered about beneath the light of a jubilant moon by the few on the surface world who remember it.

_________________________________

Taishi-shi

Vildt (Rabbit), Male, Priest of Isaiah

Location: The Far Off Eastern Continent

[Bleeding {03}]

You are bleeding severely.

- {03} HP

HP: 12/30

Blood gushes down his wounded body, which is painted in an ink that the rain can’t wash away, despite its efforts to do so.

[Hover has been deactivated]

Soul-Points: 00/37

Taishi-shi falls to the ground, his ankles and legs not able to support the weight of his body as he drops a single foot. The boy tumbles a foot, landing on his back and staring up at the sky with a deep nausea in his gut that makes him want to purge.

He killed them.

[Bleeding {03}]

You are bleeding severely.

- {03} HP

HP: 09/30

The boy pants for air, staring up at the sky, not able to see the beautiful stars because of the clouds that obscure his blurred vision. Warm vapors leave his mouth, growing less vivid with every breath as his heat leaves him.

But he has failed in his mission to find food.

And so he has failed in his duty to shepherd.

[Bleeding {03}]

You are bleeding severely.

- {03} HP

HP: 06/30

He tries to keep his eyes open in the hopes that a single star will peak through the darkness above.

But darkness is all there is.

[Bleeding {03}]

You are bleeding severely.

- {03} HP

HP: 03/30

His vision goes black.

_________________________________

“You have done well, Taishi-shi,” says a voice that surrounds him in the darkness of the void.

He lets it float through him, trying to understand where he is and what’s happening. He died, no?

“I have failed,” he says, knowing the voice of Isaiah. “Please. It is too late for me, but feed the others. I beg of you,” pleads Taishi-shi.

“There is no need for me to do so,” replies Isaiah. “You have already done so yourself, Taishi-shi.”

__________________________________

His eyes open wide.

Taishi-shi sits upright, gasping for air and looking around himself in confusion, then down at his body, which is healed and mended.

There, next to him, is a large sack that he grabs and looks inside of. It is filled to the brim with provisions, potions, salts, and medicines.

He lifts his gaze one more time towards the sky, staring at the single, faint, ruby light of a lone star in the sky that vanishes just as he sees it.

____________________________________

Red

Uthra, Female, Worker {07}

Location: The Great Ocean, Between the Continents

“Red, fly across the world and feed my slaves,” says Red, rolling her eyes. “Red, I know the world is ending, but why don’t you sweep my nest, Red? I laid some eggs,” asks the uthra, mockingly. “Red-”

“Are you ever going to get a grip?” asks Crystal, interrupting her. He is flying next to her on this mission, as nobody leaves the tower alone anymore. Red narrows her eyes, shooting a glare his way as they fly through the night, back towards the west.

The uthra clenches her fist, wondering if it isn’t time to finally deck Crystal to shut him up for good.

But then she sighs and lets go of the pressure in her hand and chest. “…Sorry…” mutters the uthra, looking back ahead of herself.

“What?” asks Crystal, confused.

“I SAID ‘SORRY’! ASSHOLE!” snaps Red, turning towards him mid-flight.

Crystal looks at her and then around them as they fly. “Are you good, R-”

“Shut up!” yells the uthra at him, before turning back forward to fly back towards the tower.

What the ghosts of Maroon and Emerald said to her in the spirit-world isn’t true. There are people who are her friends just because they want to be, even if she probably really is more trouble than she’s worth. She turns her head again, looking at Crystal for a moment. Their eyes meet, and she looks back ahead, flying onward, expertly ignoring the confusingly awkward silence that grows.

“I missed being friends, Red,” says Crystal.

“Who the hell said we stopped, idiot?” she asks, rolling her eyes and flying faster, in the hopes to leave him behind and spare herself any more of this.