The heat pressed against my scales as I slithered through another tunnel. It hadn’t been a straight route; the path had been full of twists and turns, riddled with dead ends and blocked routes. If I had been alone, there would have been a number of potential options to avoid those. I could have slipped through a wall-crack, slithering my way through the fissures in the stone until I passed the obstruction. I could have pushed through a small-tunnel, braving the bad-things that sometimes made the cramped holes their home.

With the Coreless behind me, I was far more limited. It was frustrating, almost forcing me to abandon them more than once. Only the knowledge that they would be useful in reaching the Core stopped me from slithering away. Still, I hissed at them more than once, expressing my frustration.

The female-that-was-not-Needle attempted to make another offering of strange flesh, tossing it before me. Just like before, I spit it out. Perhaps with a bit more irritability than before, really.

The taste of the Core was taunting me, and the sluggish pace did my mood no favors.

The tunnel exited into yet another large cavern, something that had made repeated appearances in my search for a viable route to the Dungeon Core. This time, though, things had changed. We had found the Dungeon Core at last - or, at least, the edge of its influence.

The stone below us had shifted from the familiar gray of the World Dungeon, warping into a material more fitting for the Dungeon Core that had laid claim to it. It had become a glossy black, smooth enough to reflect my form as I slithered across. My scale-flesh slipped and slid on its polished surface, lacking the grip that it could form on the more textured surfaces of the World Dungeon’s stone.

The glow-caps that had illuminated much of our path had begun to dwindle as we traveled closer to the Core, unable to withstand the increasing heat. For a while, that had made glimpses of the tunnels and caverns unsteady, sometimes leaving only the scent-taste of the Dungeon Core to guide my way. Only occasionally did that change, in little pockets of life that surrounded the rare few pools of mana-water along our path. Those had been a welcome respite from the heat; both the Coreless and I had drank greedily from their depths, desperately. The mana that those few moments had provided was quickly shunted towards my slow-venom, imbuing it further.

Now that we had slithered into the outer edges of the Dungeon Core’s domain, there was no need for the light of the glow-caps.

The flames provided more than enough light.

They floated through the air in little balls of light, with licking tendrils of flame that swept out at irregular intervals. My eyes twinged uncomfortably the longer I stared, wanting to dart away and look at something else, somehow bending slightly around the floating flames despite my attempts to fight the sensation.

The Coreless started to make noises again, distracting me from the flames.

“Oh. Looks like he found it.”

“I told you we should keep him, Doran. Cute and useful! What’s not to love?”

“The teeth and poison mostly, but I’m sure I could think of some other things.”

“Oh, hush.”

The other male made a few noises in response, interrupting the first two’s constant jabbering as he pulled the hunk of metal from his back. “Now’s not the time. We’re already at the edge of the Dungeon Core’s lair. It was at least strong enough to create an Infernal Cyclops - this isn’t one to take lightly.” The rest nodded, pulling their fangs of ore-flesh from their sides; the glow of mana filtered through the air, distorting and bending slightly as it reached the floating flames. “If it gets too dangerous, we’ll return to Orken for reinforcements. For now, let’s keep going. Carefully.”

While the Coreless made their noises, I couldn’t stop staring at the flames. There was something strange about them, beyond the way they floated in the air, casting strange shadows across the cavern. My mind itched at the sight, imagining phantom movements in the corners of my vision. Every so often, there would be a brief flash within the flames, as if the light had to reset itself. Each time that it happened, I almost felt as if I caught a glimpse of a figure inside. And so, I did something stupid. Or maybe genius.

The next time one floated near me, I lunged.

My jaws passed through the flames with little difficulty, feeling only a slight sting of heat as I pushed through. The light died, swallowed within my jaws. It burned as they closed, the heat growing as if to fight back against being consumed. A moment later, it disappeared, snuffed out by my fangs.

Experience Gained!

The tiny figure that had hidden within, bleeding a lukewarm liquid that tasted of smoke, fell limp. It was pulled towards my stomach, where it shifted to a new form and spread to my waiting Core.

Level 0 Flame Wisp Consumed.

Transferred to Core.

Blooded Trait Acquisition Progress: 1/5.

I hissed in delight. The cavern was littered with the floating creatures; they were defenseless, simple prey. An opportunity given by the Great Core itself.

And so I feasted.

Experience Gained!

Level 0 Flame Wisp Consumed.

Transferred to Core.

Blooded Trait Acquisition Progress: 2/5.

I consumed.

Experience Gained!

Level 0 Flame Wisp Consumed.

Transferred to Core.

Blooded Trait Acquisition Progress: 3/5.

They began to run, floating higher and higher, desperate to flee from my open jaws. Yet, as they floated towards the cavern’s ceiling, the distortions of the light weakened. The light began to flex and ripple, forming twisting shadows below. The Coreless and their constant noises only increased in volume, flooding into my ears.

I climbed a nearby stone-spike. It pulsed with a heat that burned at my scale-flesh, searing its shape into me. Still, I climbed.

I swallowed another.

Experience Gained!

Level 0 Flame Wisp Consumed.

Transferred to Core.

Blooded Trait Acquisition Progress: 4/5.

The Flame Wisps floated ever higher - and yet, it was a slow and ponderous movement. Far, far too slow. Little bits of flame began to lash out at my scale-flesh, leaving tiny burns on its surface - and yet, it was nothing compared to the pain that I had already endured. It was far, far too weak.

I consumed one more.

Experience Gained!

Level 0 Flame Wisp Consumed.

Transferred to Core.

Blooded Trait Acquisition Progress: 5/5.

Analyzing Blooded Trait…

Acquiring Blooded Trait: [Illusion Spark I]

Just as before, the Great Core’s likeness on my head-scales began to warm; I began to change. The fire-pain grew, dwarfing the heat of the cavern around me, forcing me to slide from the stone-spike in a heap.

“Oh no!” One of the Coreless made another noise. I was in too much pain to guess which one.

The flames grew and pulsed, radiating outward in a repeating series of terrible fire-pain that danced across my scale-flesh. I felt myself warp, my scale-flesh shifting to a smooth and glossy tone that appeared to suck in the light from around it.

Blooded Trait: [Illusion Spark I] Acquired.

In fact, it did.

I could sense it now, a strange understanding of the light that existed around me. The light that existed within me, pulled from the area surrounding me. I knew that the air around me had begun to distort and bend, rippling as some of the light found a new home in my scale-flesh. The heat, too, was pulled into my scales - though to a far lesser degree. Only the uncomfortable level of the surrounding temperature made the absorption noticeable.

There wasn’t much stored, but I flexed my will, and a gout of flame flicked outward from my length. There was little heat, little pain. Little sting. It was just light, wrapped into the semblance of flames, imbued with the miniscule amount of heat that I had already managed to store.

I had the suspicious feeling that I could do more with it, given enough practice. That I could bend the light around me, that I could make it appear the way I wished. That I could absorb the heat from the empty air, building stores of great flame.

I was a long way from that. Already, I was at my storage limits for both light and heat. At the level that [Illusion Spark]was at, it was little more than a flare of light or a harmless lick of flames.

But perhaps it could be more.

I turned to the thought-light.

Available Trait Points: 1

Use Trait Points To Upgrade A Trait?

It was an easy decision. The Flame Wisps that remained were hard to reach, but there were enough of them within this single cavern alone to provide another upgrade or two. It was best to use Trait Points beforehand while I could still do so easily. Part of me wanted to save enough points to upgrade [Paralyzing Venom IV], but that was less urgent. The Flame Wisps were already near. More, they were vulnerable.

1 Trait Point Required For Upgrade of [Illusion Spark I] to [Illusion Spark II].

Upgrade Successful.

My scale-flesh tingled as it shifted once more. Around me, the light began to bend further as I worked to fill to my new capacity. Heat flowed around me, warming my scales as it was stored within.

Flame Wisps floated around the cavern, even still. I just had to reach them.

I salivated at the thought, already imagining the taste of smoke and power.