Chapter 22: Core Issues, Part 1.

Catherine was finishing up recounting her life for Delvin, everything between her being born by a panicked dungeon core getting invaded, to her attack of the ship, getting captured, and the events on the city ship that led her here. Delvin listened to all of it, sending Violet off somewhere mid-way through on an errand and when they where finished Delvin heaved a sigh.

“I thought you were young, but not this fucking young. “She spoke, stretching as she sat up against the tree. “Doesn’t change much, just have to prepare you more.” Closing her eyes in thought for a moment, but then opening one to glance at Catherine “Anything you leave out? Any other details no one but us know about?” she asked.

“Nope, that was everything. “The slime had told her everything, heading her warnings about keeping secrets. She had laid everything out for Delvin, in hopes that that it would get back at the organization faster. “Hope you don’t go and use that shit against me, by the way…”

Delvin waved her off “Could kill you were you stand already, don’t need any of that crap.” She then smirked “We are partners right now, but I do need to check something rather… important.” She then stood up “From what you told me you can eat all forms of mana, from crystals dropped from monsters to the processed crap the organization uses to power all their fancy shit, right?” she asked.

Catherine nodded “I get a power boost from it, It’s small but noticeable.”

Delvin shook her head “No, that’s not exactly how that works sister. Well, as far as slimes go eating as much mana as you have in such a short time spawn would kill it, their core would rupture. “ she then walked over to Catherine and paused for a moment before speaking “When was the last time you looked at it?”

At first she didn’t speak, turning away to avoid eye contact she spoke “I haven’t seen it since I first spawned.” She said, looking away again when Delvin came into her view shooting her an unamused look.

“I know you don’t want to, but I am going to have to ask you to let me look at it.” Delvin said, growing annoyed when Catherine kept avoiding her gaze “Oh just fucking grow up! I know you had it hidden but come the fuck on!”

Catherine squinted her eyes, then gave up “Fiiine” She raised her hand, and on her open palm rose a giant dark blue crystal surrounded by a thin film of slime. Catherine blinked, looking at it “Uh, I don’t suppose it’s supposed to look like this?” She asked, staring at the head sized chunk of crystal.

Delvin was taken aback “No? Don’t you know what your own core looks like? Jeez, like holy shit that thing ruptured a long fucking time ago,” She said taking a closer look “It seems stable enough to were you are not in any danger but…fuck what’s the best way to put this?” She paused, trying to think of an example as a magic circle appeared behind her, Violet appearing on top of it a moment after. “Ah, Violet come look at this lucky dumbass.”

Violet, who had a plethora of books and two metal suitcases in her arms, gently placed them on the ground with her roots before leaning over to see. Her eyes grew wide as she rushed over and lowered herself to get a better look, concern growing on her face as she looked between the crystal and Catherine.

“I don’t see what the big deal is?” Catherine shrugged “Other monsters have crystals inside em, don’t you two as well? So what’s the issue?” She asked.

Delvin gave an exacerbated sigh “Yeah, while that may be the case, where exactly is the ‘inside’ of a slime? Usually that would be inside it’s core. You absorbed so much fucking mana it started to crystalize the outside of it.” At this point all she could do was laugh “I don’t even want to think of what would happen if they did throw you in a dump…would it just grow bigger? Be used in evolution? Variants man…” She shrugged.

Catherine was at this point staring at Violet, who was staring at her with a pitying look, as if she was looking at someone who was on their death bed. “What?” She glared, storing the core back inside herself.

Violet quickly shot up, waving her hands in front of her face before offering her a bow of apology before extending a root over to fetch the books she had left behind on the ground. She gathered all the books and placed them in front of Catherine, along with the two metal suitcases.

“If you want to say something then just say it, not like I can do anything to you.” Catherine said, a bit annoyed at the girl. But now that she thought about it, she didn’t think the girl had said a single thing since she got here.

Violet, upon hearing Catherine’s words grew flustered, she then looked to Delvin for help but she was lost in thought. She snapped back between Catherine and Delvin, at a loss at what to do she withdrew herself into her lower body, the petals closing up.

Delvin giggled, having watched the whole ordeal from the corner of her eye “She can’t, she’s mute.” She said. Violet burst open from her bottom half and, mad at Delvin’s teasing, playfully slapped her in the back of her head with a root. Delvin herself just laughing it off.

‘mute huh?’ Catherine looked between the two before glancing down at the pile of books, picking one up and reading the title allowed “Introductory to magic, volume one, magic control…? What are these for?” She then looked at the rest of the books, noticing they all had similar titles, twelve books in total.

“To help solve your magic problem.” Delvin said simply “From what you told me and from what I saw you can only copy specific spells they have used in front of you, but you should be able to use that school of magic and not just that one spell you grabbed.”

“So what? I can use fire magic now that I got that fire ball spell?” Catherine asked.

“Exactly, magic is magic and is only limited by your imagination or the way you cast a spell and isn’t limited to a set in stone effect like a skill is.” She then raised her hand, a small fireball appearing on the tip of her finger ‘What you copied was a spell, not a skill, so you should be able to use any fire magic now if you have the aptitude, practice on it when you have the time.”

Catherine nodded “So wait, what’s the difference between magic and a skill?”

Delvin sighed “Like I said, a skill is basically a set-in stone effect and is separate from magic. To add onto that your danger sense that you got from that one guy is a skill, no magic exists can copy it. Other people might have the same skill but knowing danger sense doesn’t grant you anything but the skill.”

Catherine looked at her, confusion written on her face.

“Just read the fucking books later, we really don’t have time for this now.” Devlin said, picking up one of the suitcases “Now that I know what I am working with here is the plan, be sure to listen up.”

Catherine shook her head, shaking herself out of her confusion and listening in closely.

“First, I don’t know what to think of that core of yours, keep doing what you are doing cause I doubt me telling you to stop eating mana wont do much. If you eat to much shit and wind up dead then oh well, we tried to warn you. Second, I’ll allow you to continue down my dungeon with the goal of you getting two skills, the first is body heat manipulation and then the second one is heat immunity.”

“Why those two skills specifically?” Catherine asked “To counter Rose?”

Delvin snapped her fingers “Bingo, to get rid of one of your major weaknesses, ice magic. If you can turn up your body heat to were it wont freeze, and get the immunity skill so you don’t evaporate yourself then you are golden.” She said “The immunity one is easy, any lava born monster has it and there are lava pits on the thirty fifth floor, the body heat manipulation is a bit more difficult.”

Catherine raised an eyebrow “Why not just spawn them in here and be done with it?” She asked.

Delvin motioned to all the crap in the room, the books, and the suitcase in her hands “I am already doing so much shit for you to make sure you don’t fucking die so shove it, plus if I did that then you’d miss out on all the potential skills from here to there.”

‘Well, she has a point but still…’ she shrugged.

“Anyways, the body heat manipulation you will have to find a rare monster, I’ll have Violet write down the details of it, should be just beyond the lava pits so I suggest picking up the immunity first.” She paused, making sure Catherine nodded before continuing “For your second problem, read up on magic and find something with water magic, even for a spirit they should not have that much control over your body, especially for a slime… if you were not so young I’d be more concerned about your competence…”

“Watch it.” Catherine growled.

Delvin waved her off “Please, continuing. You have a time limit for this dungeon dive, your party will after not being able to find you will trigger a recall command on your leash which will force you to return or else it will kill you, they are already on the move but I think you have a few hours and I will stall them as much as I can. “

“Yeah, thanks for that.” Catherine said, standing up and storing all the books. She’d have to find out someway to read them while exploring or, worst case read them in her cell without them noticing.

“So, I will try and make this next part brief. After you get recalled at some point you will be taken to your dungeon.” She handed Catherine one of the briefcases, which Catherine quickly stored “That is for what you need to do there, top of the line, stolen from the big wigs. After you are done jump down the hole your dungeon is floating above. Usually there is a cannon primed and ready to fire in case they ever need to destroy a dungeon but from what you said they think it’s dying and almost useless.”

Catherine chuckled at that, thinking back on one of first things she did that she really didn’t expect to work.