The Great Core's Paradox

Chapter 276: Reconnaissance

...looks quiet, for now, not-Needle muttered. The two of us were alone, having separated from the other Coreless in the wake of Wills recent speech. I wasnt entirely sure why; with how much my disciple had riled up the listening Coreless, I had expected that we would immediately throw ourselves into an all-out assault against the blasphemers. Instead, it was just not-Needle and I.

Though, at the very least, I hadnt been wrong about making a visit to the blasphemers.

From my vantage point upon the-female-who-was-not-Needles shoulder, I let out a quiet hiss, peering more closely at the ruined entrance of the blasphemers nest directly ahead of us - or, what should have been ruined. I distinctly remembered destroying the area around its ridiculous moving-wall, forcing the whole thing to collapse with the strength of my Coreless-self. It seemed like I should have done a better job.

Theyd fixed it.

Not entirely; I could still see bits of rubble at the edges of the new moving-wall that filled the space, where the blasphemers had either been unable to or unwilling to shift the rocks strewn about. But the occasional trickle of black-water slipping from between the cracks in those stones meant that the rubble-strewn edges were far from a weakness. At least to me, they were significantly more worrisome than the sort of moving-wall that Id long since proven I could defeat.

Even worse, I could see that the blasphemers had grown far more wary than before. Last time, I had been able to slither straight up to their nest, defeating the guarding moving-wall without any of the Coreless inside even noticing. None of them had even thought to watch, so confident in their ability to commit blasphemies unchallenged.

And while I was proud to have destroyed that unearned confidence, it was a shame to see what it had turned into.

I let out another low hiss, this one filled with frustration, my coils tightening instinctively as I observed the renewed defenses of the blasphemers nest. They had learned from their mistakes. Adapted, fortifying their position with newfound vigilance. It was a testament to their determination to defy the will of the Great Core, to persist in their heretical ways despite the consequences.

The moving-wall had changed; there were strips of shining ore-flesh attached to its surface where there were none before, and I imagined that the mana inside of them was meant to do something if I attempted to approach.

What that particular something was, I couldnt be sure - but, between the potential threat of the mana-enhanced moving-wall itself and the black-water that dripped from the rubble at its edges, I wouldnt simply be slithering in unnoticed like I had before.

It seemed like not-Needle had the same idea; while I stared at the changes to the blasphemers nest, shed already begun to reach for a loose stone, tossing it in the direction of the glowing moving-wall. The rock all but stopped in midair, thrown back in the other direction by an invisible force. Not fast, but fast enough that I knew that I would struggle to slither through the moving-walls new wind.

It was a defense meant for something like me, I thought, not a fellow Coreless. They were far too heavy for something like that to stop them. But even so, it was an annoying sight. It meant that punishing the blasphemers a second time wouldnt be quite as easy as the first.

If the first time could really be called easy - I had died, after all, only being saved by the effects of [Transient Reanimation]. And that was when the blasphemers werent ready for me. If they were prepared, they could certainly do worse. I still remembered how deadly their fangs of wind could be.

The moving-wall began to split itself as, despite all of the new ore-flesh it had been coated with, it was instantly defeated by something hidden on its other side. Pathetic.

Beside me, the-female-who-was-not-Needle sucked in a breath, muscles tensing below her ore-flesh. The crack in the moving-walls middle widened, and the wind whirled around me as we moved, my disciple throwing herself behind a particularly large stone-spike near the nests entrance.

her hiding skills left much to be desired. I was sure that, if the blasphemers that emerged from the now-open moving-wall hadnt been clad in shining ore-flesh of their own, they would have immediately noticed the glow of ore-flesh coming from behind the stone-spike.

But they were, and so they didnt.

Unfortunately, that didnt solve the problem that continued to loom overhead. Regardless of their lack of observation skills, not-Needle and I still couldnt move without them noticing us. Luckily, the two Coreless quickly resolved the issue for us themselves, stepping away from the moving-wall and moving off into the darkness of the cavern.

The-female-who-was-not-Needle loosened her fangs of ore-flesh and began to silently follow in their wake.

The blasphemers fell quickly.

It was almost disappointing; then again, it wasnt so surprising. The duo had no idea that we were following behind them, and there was plenty of time for me to bite into the side of not-Needles neck, infusing her with the strength of [Life - Vigor].

And as much as my currently death-attuned body hated the touch of life essence, it had been worth it.

My disciple, already faster than other Coreless before she was infused with empowering essence, threw herself into motion. The first of the blasphemers fell before they could even react, ore-flesh fangs cutting into the Coreless neck with a surprising degree of ruthlessness.

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She was still very [angry].

He fell with a shout, blood gushing from his flesh, and I leaped from my place on not-Needles shoulder, landing atop him.

I knew that, even without the element of surprise, my disciple would be able to handle the remaining blasphemer herself. Their strength was in their fangs of wind, in the ability to attack from a distance; a distance that not-Needle had already closed.

And the blasphemer, laying dying on the ground, had something that I wanted.

His face, pale from blood loss and fright, whitened further as I landed atop his ore-flesh. Surprisingly, the injured Coreless was still able to think through the pain of his punctured neck. He immediately activated power embedded in his ore-flesh, a gale of wind bursting into life around him.

But it was too late. I had already landed, and my fangs had already found flesh. Weakened as he was by not-Needles initial attack, he quickly perished.

Mana-Infused ./././.././ D-

And then rose again, brought back to his feet by my will, serving the Great Core in his undeath. A part of me wanted to use my newest ability, to subjugate his soul - or a fragment of it, anyway - in order to increase the effect of [Death Boost], but the more rational part of me won out.

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His ore-flesh would be heavy, and I wasnt sure if the-female-who-was-not-Needle would be able to easily carry it. At the very least, I would have the once-blasphemer return to the Great Cores Coreless before I allowed him to truly die.

And then I would eat his soul.

Satisfied with the plan, I turned my attention towards my disciple - and was surprised to see that she hadnt killed the other blasphemer. Instead, she had bound him in sturdy threads, pulled from one of the skin-mouths at her side, leaving the blasphemers hands trapped behind his back. A strip of hide was placed between his teeth, muffling his shouts.

I hissed at the sight, instantly commanding the once-blasphemer under my control to halt his coming attack before it could land.

It seemed that my disciple wanted to capture one of the blasphemers alive.

She turned towards the two of us, hesitating for a moment before her eyes drifted towards the lines of black that had begun to crisscross the once-blasphemers flesh. A note of [unease] drifted across our connection before it was squashed, my disciple having apparently reasoned herself out of whatever discomfort she might have been feeling at the sight of the once-blasphemer.

...that works, I guess. Would have been hard to hide the body, anyway, not-Needle muttered, reaching over to pluck me from atop the ore-flesh of my newest undead. The captured blasphemer startled at her words, twisting his head around to stare at his former ally. His face paled, and a tangle of muffled words spilled from around the hide in his mouth.

Some, despite the hide between his teeth, were rather loud. The liquid streaming down beneath his eyes, too, was rather glaring. As was the smell of piss coming from between his legs.

And all of that did little more than make my disciple, normally so even-tempered, surge with [anger]. It was enough that, even knowing where the emotion was directed, where it came from, I almost flinched.

Stop, my disciple barked, baring her teeth at the captured Coreless. The [anger] swelled even further and paired itself with [disgust], as if even speaking to the bound blasphemer was enough to make her sick and filled with rage.

How devoted!

The Great Core was surely pleased at possessing such a zealous disciple.

By the time that I stopped wriggling in glee, the-female-who-was-not-Needle had already kneeled in front of the bound blasphemers face, and was in the midst of making more noises at him.

...I wouldnt normally do something like this, she was saying, voice lowering. But, you know"

The blasphemer flinched, overcome by her zeal, and my disciple began to slowly wipe her bloodied fangs on the Coreless ore-flesh.

Up.

Down.

Up.

Down.

...I found children in there, she finished, pulling at the Coreless hair and forcing him to look in her eyes. The sounds were hard and harsh, coming from somewhere deep in her throat. And theyd burned.

Then, just as I thought she was done, my disciple tugged at the Coreless hair again, forcing him to stare at his formerly living ally. His eyes darted around, trying to look anywhere else but the undeads face.

For some reason, something about it seemed to unnerve him.

So, not-Needle said. Im going to take you back to my friends. Were going to ask you some questions about that mine over there and the people inside. And, unless you want to end up like your friend, youre going to answer them. Yes?

The blasphemers head bobbled, and it seemed that my disciple was finally done. She forced him up and pushed him in front of her, back in the direction of our Coreless allies - and so he missed the way that her body momentarily sagged, a concerning wave of [emptiness] replacing some of the [anger] that had overwhelmed her.

It wasnt long before we arrived at the grove of plant-flesh once more. More than a few Coreless greeted us as we arrived, only to shout and spit at the passing forms of the blasphemer and once-blasphemer, their [rage], [grief], and [hatred] no less powerful than before. The still living blasphemer flinched in response, ducking into himself as if to somehow hide away from it all - but there was no hiding.

I was sure that, if it werent for the presence of my disciple to stop them from doing so, the Coreless would have ripped the blasphemer apart.

I hissed in delight at the thought.

I was so proudof them. Even after so short a time within the Great Cores light, they had already learned the truth. Blasphemy would not be tolerated.

It needed to be destroyed; eradicated; ripped limb from limb. And, based on the way that some of my Coreless teeth were bared, their hands clenching and unclenching into ineffectual facsimiles of claws, they desperately wanted to do all of those things.

With that thought, I focused on the connection between myself and the once-blasphemer beside us; now that wed returned, there wasnt any real need to keep him around. While the undead could have been useful in a fight, with the mana-enhanced ore-flesh that he possessed, there was no real need for him to be the one to use it.

And, even more, I wanted the power that his soul could give me - the strength that [Death Boost] could provide.

I found the link between us, pulled, and the once-blasphemer collapsed. The Coreless startled at the sudden change, momentarily jumping backwards. Not-Needle stopped to stare at the corpse in [confusion]. The captured blasphemer groaned from behind his strip of hide, somehow turning even paler.

And, finally, the thought-light flickered.

Mana-Infused ./././.././ Defeated.

Calculating ./././.././ Strength.

Requisite Experience Awarded.

Just as before, something intangible came shrieking and screaming in my direction, caught between invisible fangs. And, just as before, it struggled.

It thrashed.

It fell into pieces.

And I swallowed what remained.

Mana-Infused ./././.././ Soul Fragment Absorbed.

My scales hardened. My flesh strengthened. My fangs sharpened.

I shuddered and hissed, welcoming the change, before turning my head towards the other blasphemer. He stared back at me, eyes wider than ever, as if hed finally understood exactly the mistake hed made in defying the greatest of all Cores.

Having still not yet gotten over her [confusion], not-Needle nonetheless turned her attention back towards me. Her hand reached up to brush across my head-scales, and she paused as they touched down.

Huh. Were you just trying to save me from having to carry all of that here, little guy? That was awful sweet of you.

Beside her, the faithful had already begun to strip the dead blasphemer of his ore-flesh, after which they gave his uncovered flesh a few kicks. I wasnt sure why; the corpse wouldnt feel it. Despite that, it seemed to make them feel a little better.

Not much, but a little.

The-female-who-was-not-Needle made some noises at the Coreless before they could step away with the ore-flesh pointing towards the direction of the nearby tower-nest. Then, piece by piece, the ore-flesh was taken in its direction.

We followed in their wake, captive blasphemer in tow.