It didn’t take much longer.

With four angry Coreless against one weakened bad-thing - even as strong of a bad-thing as it was - the outcome was already decided. The Coreless were flagging, brought low by exhaustion, but their enemy was far worse.

The venom that I had spread through its flesh had already begun to do its work; blows that had once been terrifying in their strength had become weak and sluggish, deflected off of Will’s wall of ore-flesh with ease.

Needle ripped her needle-fangs from the downed bad-thing’s corpse, throwing aside the ones that had become too charred for proper flight and sending what little remained into the survivor’s own body.

The female-who-was-not-Needle continued to harry the bad-thing from just outside of its reach, dodging and ducking blow after blow, bleeding the thing with quick little cuts and slashes that began to form a pool of crimson underneath its feet.

Meanwhile, the Unrepentant One had finally managed to free his weapon from the bad-thing’s side, and was putting it to admirable use. He was disrespectful, and easily the worst of the Coreless that had attached themselves to me - but I had to admit one thing. He was strong.

Each swing of his ore-flesh hewed through the bad-thing’s stone-covered flesh, gouging out piece after piece. Just as they had done with the other bad-thing, the Coreless aimed for the legs. I was beginning to suspect that was something they enjoyed doing.

I had to admit, it was fun to see the way the bad-things fell.

It toppled to the ground as a particularly powerful blow from the male-who-was-not-Will fully severed through its ankle at last, the stump that remained losing its purchase on the blood-covered stone below it.

The Coreless jumped upon its back.

From there, it was only a matter of time.

Soon enough, the thought-light flickered again.

Experience Gained! Reduced Due To Assistance Received.

Level Up x 3!

3 Trait Points Gained.

The reward was less than before; I wasn’t sure if that was because this bad-thing was weaker than the first, if biting out the other’s eye had allowed me to receive a greater reward, or if my level increasing from the first had made the second have less of an effect.

Regardless, I was thankful for what it meant.

Though I was tempted to use the trait points that I had gained, either to increase [Illusion Spark], which had quickly become my favorite trait, or to make one of my lower traits more powerful, I decided against it for now.

It would be better to wait and see which I needed.

Besides, there was something more urgent that demanded my attention. I slithered underneath the downed bad-thing’s head, slipping through the tiny spaces provided by the way it leaned against the stone. They were small, but, then again, so was I.

I sunk my fangs into the corpse’s eye, reaching for the mana core that I knew hid within. When I found it, I hesitated for only a moment - then, I swallowed it whole.

This time, the thought-light didn’t flicker. I hissed in disappointment for a moment. But only a moment, as the massive influx of mana that came immediately afterwards wiped away all else.

It was less than the first contained, the mana within probably reduced by the final torrent of flame that the bad-thing unleashed. Despite that, it was still enough to send me reeling. It was still enough to overwhelm me.

It was still enough for me to create a flame of my own.

With my venom sacs all but depleted, I needed another outlet, another way to use the mana that filled me to the brim. Fortunately, I had only just gained one.

I did what I could to keep the mana under control, taking the time to guide it in the best way I knew. This time, I wasn’t in a hurry. I concentrated, focusing on the mana that caused my core to feel as if it would burst. There in my mind, I could see the way that it shifted and twisted, one moment calm and furious the next.

I found the balance - and then I shaped it in the way that [Mana Fire] insisted that I could.

Lesser Core Skill: [Mana Manipulation VIII] Increased.

[Mana Manipulation IX] Acquired.

It fought me, trying to rip away from my control, to do what it wished - and as the mana shifted into flames, it fought even more. It became a chaotic, flighty thing, seeking nothing more than to slip free. To rage. To burn.

I held on.

Lesser Core Skill: [Mana Manipulation IX] Increased.

[Mana Manipulation X] Acquired.

Each time that the thought-light flickered, it became a little easier to manage the overwhelming amount of mana. My mouth began to warm - not with the horrible fire-pain that [Molten Bite] had created, but with something more gentle. Something soothing, despite the way that the mana continued to fight against me. A blue light began to glow from within my mouth, outmatching the mana-glow that I had seen from anything but the flame-gaze bad-things and the Great Core itself.

Finally, I let it go free.

[Mana Fire] shot from my mouth, colored a brilliant blue that caught the eye. It roared against the bad-thing’s corpse, the flames dashing themselves against its fire-resistant flesh.

Lesser Core Skill: [Mana Fire I] Increased.

[Mana Fire II] Acquired.

The thought-light flickered, and the flames increased in intensity. The flesh began to singe ever-so-slightly under the assault.

Lesser Core Skill: [Mana Fire II] Increased.

[Mana Fire III] Acquired.

The flames grew again, and the corpse began to smolder, unable to stand against the sheer amount of mana that assailed it.

Lesser Core Skill: [Mana Manipulation X] Increased.

[Mana Manipulation XI] Acquired.

Lesser Core Skill: [Mana Fire III] Increased.

[Mana Fire IV] Acquired.

Each time that the thought-light flickered, I could tell that the flames began to cost less mana to create - which was a problem, since I was trying to waste it all. Despite that, the flames eventually died, leaving the scent-taste of burnt flesh on my tongue. And not my own, for once. That was an exciting development; I was more than a little sick of burning.

I pulled myself out from underneath the corpse at last, satisfied. The Coreless came into view, and I gave them a pleasant hiss of encouragement. It took them a few tries, but they did well.

The Unrepentant One made some noises to the others. “It didn’t happen to eat the Core while we weren’t paying attention, did it?”

“I don’t think so. Any ability that he gained from a Dungeon Core would be shaped slightly by his own aspect as well as the aspect of the first Core that he consumed; considering they’re both time, it would definitely have to have some sort of time component attached.” Will made a few noises in response, causing the other Coreless to grunt with varying degrees of emotion that I didn’t begin to try to understand.

“How would you tell? In fact, how would time and fire go together, anyway?” Needle responded.

“I have no idea, honestly. Time’s a pretty rare aspect as it is, and it’s not like there’s much opportunity to closely study Ascended creatures. They’re not normally as...docile.”

“Maybe we should just let him have it.” The-female-who-was-not-Needle moved one finger towards me slowly, reaching for my head-scales, and bared her teeth. “I think the little guy’s earned it, after this.” I hissed at her finger as it came a little closer. She had done well - better than I expected even, but I hadn’t forgotten about her previous mistakes. The finger jerked back.

“I’m not going to just let a monster have a Core, even if it was a little helpful. Orken is low enough on Cores as it is, we can’t afford to let them go to waste just because you want a dangerous pet, Valera.”

The female-who-was-not-Needle let out a huff of air in response to the Unrepentant One’s noises. “I’d call what just happened more than a little helpful. And besides, Orken needs Cores so that we can protect ourselves better; doesn’t having the little cutie here get rid of them protect us as well? We just walked right past a Flame Formican colony and were shown the future by a snake. And we won! Just think about what that means?”

As the Coreless began to jabber at one another, I let my tongue flick out into the air, trying to catch the scent-taste of the Core again.

It was near, I knew. Closer than it had ever been.

I just had to find it.