The Great Core's Paradox

Chapter 223: A Need For Focus

It was more than a little longer, or at least it felt like it. The tunnels leading to the Lesser Core seemed endless, a mess of twisting and turning darkness, filled with corpse-thing after corpse-thing hiding within. They threw themselves into our path in great waves, and I found myself more and more grateful for the assistance of the disciples.

With the increasing strength of the Lesser Cores aura, I found that I actually needed them. I was forced to spend most of my time curled inwards, mouth firmly attached to my tail, with only brief moments spent otherwise - the times when I paused to bite into the flesh of a Coreless with [Life - Vigor], or to create a [Little Guardians Focus].

Like now.

The Unrepentant One, still fighting the increasing levels of [nausea] that apparently came with repeated usage of [Life - Vigor], huffed and stepped backwards. Not-Needle, who had mostly recovered - or, at least, she wasnt vomiting as often anymore, which had been absolutely disgusting to witness - took his place, ore-flesh fangs flashing in a brilliant sequence as she quickly smoothed out edges and carved away mistakes. By the time she was finished, the waiting statues were

Acceptable.

Barely.

If I really looked, I could easily find mistakes; a misshapen scale here, a gouged-out divot there. It wasnt worthy. It wasnt right. The Great Core deserved better. I itched with the need to fix it, to run scale-flesh across stone-flesh and let [The Golems Fading Heart] turn the statues into something better. Something worthy of the Great Cores glory. It would have been hard on me, with the time that it took, the Lesser Core fighting against me all the while.

It wouldnt have been worth it. Not when it might weaken me enough - maybe not this time, but possibly the next, or the time after - for me to start actually dying, rather than slithering along the line of healed and not-healed. I couldnt do it.

Fighting back waves of guilt, I let go of my tail and quickly slithered forward. A chill set itself into my scale-flesh as the healing effect of [The Snake That Eats Its Own Tail] disappeared, beaten back only by the streams of vitality that continued to warm my blood. Occasionally, I pulled at a drop, using [Life Essence Manipulation] to guide it past the barrier of mana-laden blood that kept it from pressing against my flesh.

Heat bloomed against my scale-flesh, pushing back the growing chill and repairing what had been destroyed. The thought-light flickered.

Lesser Core Skill: [Life - Vitality XV] Increased.

[Life - Vitality XVI] Acquired.

I was more thankful than ever for [Mana Blood] and [Mana Restoration]. If I hadnt chosen them

It hurt to even think about, but I would have ended up under the Lesser Cores control again. Even with so much mana at my control, and even with my life essence based abilities stronger than ever, I was struggling.

It was galling; the only thing that made me feel better was the knowledge that something like this couldnt be easy for the Lesser Core. Raising corpses again and again, eating away at all life within a wide range around it

It couldnt do it forever. I hoped. Even a Core didnt have endless mana. Not even the Great Core, let alone a Lesser one.

I hissed in apology at the thought, but was quickly forced to turn my attention away as scale-flesh found stone-flesh.

Light bloomed as [Little Guardians Focus] took hold, infusing the embarrassingly crude piece of stone-flesh. I heard my Coreless let out a collective sigh behind me, [relief] flowing through the connections to their respective [Little Guardians Totem]s as they reached out to attune them to the newborn [Little Guardians Focus].

But I wasnt done. I slithered to the side and began to focus.

I still cant believe we didnt think to do this before, one of the Coreless jabbered. I was concentrating too much to tell who it was, let alone to attempt to guess at what the noises meant. The weave in my mind was slippery and hard to grasp, even with my skills doing almost all of the work for me.

It wouldve helped in Verdant Grove, thats for sure. I dont think its easy on him, though. It keeps taking longer than before, another quietly hissed.

I kept pushing, ignoring the way that the weave of mana and life essence trembled and shook, the way that the parts that made it began to fray. When they did, I just added more mana and life essence, even if I mourned their loss.

I needed them so that I could stay alive, but I also needed my Coreless to stay alive.

Making more than one [Little Guardians Focus] would help with that. I just wished that it wasnt so difficult; trying to make one within range of another [Little Guardians Focus] didnt feel right, like the aura of the old [Little Guardians Focus] was fighting against the creation of the new. I had noticed it before, when trying to form new ones at the outside edge of the old, but it was nothing like this. It was a little harder, maybe, but not terribly noticeable.

This, thoughwas a struggle.

I pushed through it anyway, knowing that my Coreless would need it to resist the growing strength of the Lesser Cores killing aura. Knowing that I could do it. It wouldnt be the first time.

That didnt make it any easier to do, especially with such poor excuses for statues. It was harder when they were ugly.

I did it anyway, praying to the Great Core to understand. To allow the change. A rush of mana and life essence left me, filling the fraying weave that was [Little Guardians Focus] and repairing its faults.

And then there was light, and a second [Little Guardians Focus] was born. I hissed in relief, and my Coreless hissed behind me.

After a moment to rest and heal myself again, I started to work on the third. It was even harder than the second, but the light eventually bloomed. The thought-light flickered alongside it.

Lesser Core Skill: [Little Guardians Focus XI] Increased.

[Little Guardians Focus XII] Acquired.

I hissed with joy at the sight. The Great Core was with us, thankfully, even if we had formed terrible abominations in its name. I let out another brief hiss before a bout of guilt overtook me at the thought.

Maybe we could fix them on the way back.

Valera let out a sigh of relief, the ice invading her veins finally beginning its retreat as she attuned to the final Guardian Statue. A great warmth radiated from the [Little Guardians Totem] hanging from her neck, far stronger than it had recently been. Great enough that it was closer to a flame than real warmth, almost scalding in its intensity. Strong enough that Valera had checked her skin for burns at one point, even if that didnt make any sense. Healing didnt burn. It was probably just the contrast; the difference between the deathly chill in her limbs and the healing warmth at her chest.

She still checked again, sneaking a peak underneath the gaps of her armor. It was fine, even if attuning to a third Guardian Statue within the same range always made her [Little Guardians Totem] feel like it was going to melt. Luckily - or unluckily, depending on how you looked at it - three Guardian Statues placed beside one another seemed to be all that the Little Guardian could manage; theyd tried for a fourth once, and the little snake had actually fainted.

Only for a few seconds, but it was an awful, awful few seconds.

They never tried for a fourth again. It wasnt worth the risk, even if the lack made them more vulnerable. The Little Guardian was already struggling without pushing himself that far; he had slowed during their trek, grown more sluggish. Now, he was only pulling himself from his curled-inward position when he needed to create new Guardian Statues or the path forward forked out in multiple directions.

As cute as the sleepy-looking little guy was, Valera was worried. They wouldnt be able to rely on him when they found the Core. She risked a glance back. The tiny snake was wrapped around Elaras shoulder, where Doran had passed him when the mana strain became too much. Smart of him, she had to admit. Valera was still struggling with her own mana-induced nausea. She should have given up earlier than she had, but the feeling was pretty exhilarating. Pushing past your limits like that always was. Doran had clearly thought the same, even if the big lug pretended that he didnt.

The grin on his face as he turned undead into mangled pulps was a bit too big to really hide, though.

A few scales flaked off the Little Guardians body, revealing a mass of blackening flesh beneath it. A moment later, new growth surged in, almost immediately replacing what was lost.

That part was less cute; Valera had to fight a sudden urge to vomit. The nausea from the mana strain was still getting to her a little, though it had simmered down some, becoming more of an ever-present discomfort than anything else. Some things still made it swell again, though.

Suddenly, Kala hissed sharply, distracting Valera from thoughts of illness. Stop! she said. I think I see a light ahead.

Valera squinted. There wasnt anything but darkness, like a yawning pit, a hole in the world. Still, Kalas mana-infusions had enhanced her perception to a ridiculous degree. Valera wouldnt argue. Do you see the Core? she asked, hands flexing on the hilts of her swords in anticipation - not that theyd ever really left. There were too many monsters around for that.

No, Kala answered, eyes narrowed and bow at the ready. Its coming from around a bend. I dont think it could be anything else, though. Not with that color of light. Its almost entirely black, with just a hint of purple; thats probably why you cant see it from here. Blends in with the darkness. I almost didnt notice it.

Erik sighed, pulling the shield from his back. I guess this is it, then, he said. Everyone behind me. Well take this slow.

With rasping breaths and fast-beating hearts, the Seekers - and one curled-up, slowly decaying shoulder-snake - carefully pressed forward. Turned a corner.

Stepped into the light.

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