Mana Soul: Chapter 57 - The Guardians - Markus

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Reviewing the images and recordings of the evacuation was a bittersweet experience. On the one hand, Markus was immensely proud of how his artfices performed in the field against an organised enemy force. On the other hand, however, Markus felt an immense degree of dread after witnessing what would be coming for the world he currently called home.

According to reports from the golems gathering information in the refugee camps, the city from the recordings had been the final stronghold. There were no other humans left in that world. They had all been exterminated by monsters. Knowing this, it wasn’t difficult for Markus to make the connection with the hundreds of dungeon worlds he had recently discovered. They were all graveyards of fallen civilisations.

Cara had kept her word and divulged the secrets for creating the mana constructs her people called Guardians. So Markus had spent the past couple of days developing a prototype while the golems secured a testing ground on another world. If the worst were to happen, he wanted an easy means of disposing of it without risking innocent lives.

What worried Markus most was how similar the Guardian enchantments were to the enchantments used in the dungeon cores. It was theoretically possible that one of Cara’s people had studied a dungeon core in the past and created Guardian enchantments as a defence against the dungeon monsters.

It made a sort of sense to Markus considering that he himself and whoever this hypothetical person was had made similar achievements. Just as Markus had his Knight experiments with artificially creating Warriors, Cara’s people had been tampered with to make them all hereditary Artificers. Similarly, the study of dungeon cores was the only logical explanation for the development of the Guardians. In all likelihood, the conversion of the population might even serve as a necessary function of the Guardian enchantments.

Polishing the crystal sphere so he could inspect the detailed etching work made by the golems more clearly, Markus felt a thrill of excitement at the prospect of initiating the experiment. Roughly the size of his fist, the artifice would function as a pseudo dungeon core, creating slimes that would be under his control. Assuming it functioned as intended. If it did, then the enchantment pattern would become a standard fixture for every town and city of his kingdom. Far better to have friendly sewer slimes than relying on protective equipment and proactive herding.

Although that did raise the question of who to trust with control of the artifice. An unfortunate drawback of the enchantments required blood as part of the activation and bonding process. This meant that the golems were unfortunately disqualified, and Markus was not inclined to micromanage the day to day activities of his kingdom’s sewers.

Despite the insistence of Cara’s people to the contrary, the bond of the Guardian enchantments could be artificially severed. But it would be a delicate and time-consuming process at best and was very likely a traumatising experience for the mana construct and humans alike.

Carefully packing the artifice away in a padded pack, Markus handed it off to Hector who diligently slung the pack over its shoulder.

“Have Peabody approach a qualified candidate that would be willing to take up residence in one of the recently reclaimed cities,” Markus ordered, deciding that it would be best to have a volunteer who would be able to transition into the role with minimal fuss.

“As you command,” Hector replied obediently.

Leaving the workshop, Markus found Phillipe waiting for him outside.

“So? What are we going to do?” Phillipe asked worriedly.

“About what?” The question caught Markus by surprise and it was taking a few moments for him to shift his train of thought.

Phillipe gave Markus a long-suffering stare, “About the bloody apocalypse!” He hissed angrily while trying to keep anyone else from overhearing them.

“Oh, that,” Markus conceded guiltily. “Well, assuming this next experiment-”

“The sewer slimes?” Phillipe groaned.

“Yes, the sewer slimes!” Markus replied hotly, “There are a lot of revolutionary applications for these enchantments, and it is far better that I test them out on something manageable first!”

“Like what?” Phillipe asked somewhat apprehensive.

Markus thought about it for a few moments, “Like an entire army of mana constructs to help defend any given city?” He suggested, “Or maybe just a really huge Guardian? I’m not sure just yet, but creating an army out of mana to do the fighting, or at least do the worst of the dying, seems far better than the alternative.”

Phillipe remained silent for the better part of a minute while they continued walking. “You really think you could do that?” He asked hopefully, “Create an army of obedient monsters, I mean.”

Markus nodded, “Fairly confident. It’s just a matter of amplifying the bond to ensure loyalty. Or at worst limiting their available targets to dungeon monsters. I suppose I could even try patching in the golem enchantments...” He felt a little annoyed for not having thought of that sooner. The dungeon cores already possessed a malign intelligence of their own, so it was at least theoretically possible to introduce a golem to serve as a sort of over-mind. It wasn’t entirely dissimilar from the Guardian bond either, although it would be master and servant as opposed to partners.

“I’m sorry,” Phillipe apologised, “But getting a first-hand look at the end of the world has me more than a little terrified.”

Markus understood only too well and nodded in agreement, “I know, but we need to be proactive and constructive, we need to prepare.”

Phillipe nodded determinedly, “Right,” he paused for a moment, “So when are you testing-”

“As soon as I have a volunteer,” Markus interrupted, “Peabody should be making inquiries as we speak.”

Phillipe seemed somewhat more relaxed upon hearing the news but grew somewhat awkward shortly afterwards. “And uh, how is the other experiment going?” He asked.

Markus took a moment to figure out what Phillipe was talking about and then became somewhat awkward himself, “Ah, right, the chimaerafication experiment? It’s going better than I hoped, for the most part.”

“Has something gone wrong?” Phillipe asked with concern.

Markus wasn’t sure how to answer that question, “Sort of?” He admitted, “It’s a similar problem to the Knight experiment with Maud. The transformation seems to have permanently stunted his growth through mana exposure. No matter how much dungeon mana I expose him to, his body won't accept it.”

“And that’s bad?” Phillipe asked uncertainly.

“Well...It depends on how you want to look at it,” Markus conceded, “As of right now, Adam is as strong as a tenth level Warrior-”

“That’s not so bad by chimaera standards,” Phillipe interrupted.

“-all the time,” Markus continued seriously.

Phillipe nearly tripped over in his surprise, “You are joking?” He demanded.

Markus shook his head, “In the most general terms, Adam is the equivalent strength as a chimaera that has destroyed seven dungeon cores. However, and I am not sure if this is truly good or bad either, but, Adam can’t trigger the berserker state like the other chimaeras. I think it is because his body is too stable to trigger the self-feeding element of the berserker state, but I can’t be certain at this point.”

They came to a stop in front of the castle. It was currently undergoing repairs at a breakneck pace by a large team of golems under the supervision of an experienced architect.

After negotiating with the ruler of Cara’s people, Phillipe had none too subtly suggested that it was going to soon be necessary for Markus to have a dignified and impressive location to hold meetings with foreign dignitaries.

“What about the other thing?” Phillipe asked quietly.

Markus blushed a little, “It looks promising so far.”

“Really?” Phillipe seemed genuinely surprised.

Markus nodded.

“Well...Isn’t that all for the best then?” Phillipe asked happily.

“I guess?” Markus agreed awkwardly, “But now I need to manage the feat from the other direction, and I am quite convinced it won't be nearly as simple.”

Phillipe took a few moments to consider this before nodding in agreement, “I suppose so, but this should be one less mess for you to deal with in the meantime. Assuming the kid is still willing, chimaerafy him and give yourself some breathing room to figure out the rest.”

“True,” Markus agreed half-heartedly, “But I promised Aela, and I’m so close...”

Phillipe looked surprised, “Close? If the experiment worked, wouldn’t you just need to do it on yourself?” He asked nervously, “I mean, Aela is a chimaera already, and you said-” Phillipe’s ears reddened and he seemed to suddenly find it difficult to maintain eye contact, “-that She would be able to have children so long as you could find a way to sort of meet her halfway...”

Markus stared determinedly at the castle, just as keen as Phillipe to avoid eye contact for the time being. “I still don’t know if it will work on me...” Markus admitted, “The Class mana types convert dungeon mana in order to saturate more of the host's body. And since chimaera mana is incredibly similar to dungeon mana, there is a very real chance that this conversion method for even partial chimaerafication won't work...”

Phillipe frowned thoughtfully, “So...You're saying you need to try and chimaerafy someone who already has Class mana?” He hissed through his teeth and ran a hand through his hair in sympathetic frustration, “I see what you mean. There is always something else isn’t there?”

Markus nodded.

“How are you going to find a volunteer for that experiment?” Phillipe asked defeatedly, “Not to be too defeatist, but you have already gotten rather lucky with securing so many willing volunteers already.”

“I know,” Markus agreed and let out a long sigh, “I know.”

It was worse than Phillipe knew. If Cara’s people were any indication, artificially infused mana was liable to be inherited. This was good news for Markus’s chimaerafication treatment, and perhaps for his own personal treatment. However, if Markus was to refine the experiment on anyone else first, it would mean the test subject would have both the attributes of a chimaera and one of the four Classes. Which made Markus feel profoundly uncomfortable.

Granted, Markus could experiment on the rabbits again to produce a proof of concept. However, he had learned from the experiment on Adam that the treatment on humans required a great deal more finesse to achieve the desired results and avoid asymmetrical saturation and development.

Phillipe fidgetted uncomfortably, “I know you probably don’t want to hear this just now, and it seems so fucking stupid considering what we have seen,” he swore bitterly, “But according to my cousin Lambert, the crowned prince is mustering a coalition to subjugate you and seize your kingdom.”

Markus froze. “Fucking figures,” he hissed bitterly, having expected the royals and nobles to conveniently ignore their oaths and rule of law when word began spreading of his success in conquering the dead lands. They probably figured it would now be free land for the taking. That all they would need to do was beat his army of mercenaries into submission.

Phillipe sighed irritably and turned to face Markus again, “My father...” His face twisted bitterly, “My father wants to break my engagement with Hilda and have Kas and I return home. He was furious when he found out about the offer I extended to my cousins and wants you to rescind the offer, or else,” Phillipe spat at the ground in disgust.

“So...What are you going to do?” Markus asked hesitantly, not sure he wanted to hear the answer.

“Nothing,” Phillipe replied with a savage grin, “The old bastard is just trying to cover his own arse. No doubt worried that my proximity and involvement with you will somehow reflect poorly on Albert or Terrence. Which it would and will,” he clarified with a smirk of satisfaction, “Kas is having none of it either, she has had a taste of freedom now and can’t stand the idea of an arranged marriage to secure alliances for our older brothers, especially when the potential suitors so strongly resemble trolls in appearance and moral character!”

Markus couldn’t help but smile, thoroughly relieved that he wouldn’t be losing one of his closest friends.

“And besides, Kas is loving all the attention she is getting from the scions of those merchants you have elevated to the peerage,” Phillipe snickered.

“Really?” Markus asked with a grin, imagining a dozen or so young men fawning over Kassandra with gifts, only to be bluntly rejected.

“Sure,” Phillipe answered confidently, “She is mostly pitting them against one another in tests of strength or cunning or whatever else she can think of, but she is certainly enjoying herself all the same.”

“Ah,” Markus nodded in understanding. That was much more in line with what he had come to expect of Phillipe’s combative younger sister.

“Um, speaking of which,” Phillipe segued somewhat awkwardly, “I know you have a thing against nobles and everything-” He held up a hand to stall Markus’s response, “-I have known you a while now Markus, so don’t try to say you don’t.”

Markus sighed and waved for Phillipe to continue. He was right, and it wasn’t like Markus had made a point of hiding it.

“The cousins I mentioned earlier, the ones who are going to donate Class mana for your Knight experiments. Do you think it would be possible to offer them a similar deal to what you have offered the merchants?” Phillipe asked hesitantly.

Markus frowned but made a point of holding his tongue. While Phillipe was not privy to the exact details of the deal brokered by Peabody, he had obviously been smart enough to put two and two together. It was not particularly surprising since the qualities Markus admired most in Phillipe besides his moral character, was his perceptiveness and intelligence.

“None of them are major landowners or anything,” Phillipe continued, understanding that Markus was willing to at least hear out his case. “But they have a decent-sized force of trained soldiers and men at arms when accounted for collectively.”

Markus nodded and motioned for Phillipe to continue.

“You have a lot of mercenaries working for you right now, and I know some of them are taking your deal to settle down and work for you directly and that you are taking recruits from the colonists, but eventually you will need a proper standing army, and my uncle Welard can help,” Phillipe insisted reasonably, “He served twenty years as my father’s chief military advisor and marshal before stepping down so my older brother Albert could take the position to learn the ins and outs of soldiering.”

“Wouldn’t your uncle be more loyal to your father and brothers than me?” Markus asked dubiously.

Phillipe shook his head adamantly, “Not at all. My uncle Welard was originally passed over for inheriting the primary title due to my father being born from a better marriage...My uncle and father are only half brothers on my grandfather's side you see? And my father has gone to rather extreme lengths to ensure uncle Welard hasn’t had any real authority since stepping down as marshal. I am confident that even if you don’t inform him of what’s coming, he would still take the position and forge your fresh recruits into an army out of sheer spite.” He took a few moments to let his words sink in. “Markus, if we are going to survive the apocalypse, we are going to need someone who can lead a real army, and I can tell you right now, I am not the man for the role.”

Markus was forced to admit that Phillipe had a point. No matter how many golems and monsters he was able to make, it had been made quite clear that they would not live up to their combat potential on the battlefield without experienced and knowledgeable direction.

“So, in exchange for taking your uncle as marshal, assuming he accepts, you want what exactly for your cousins?” Markus asked.

“What are you offering?” Phillipe countered a little sheepishly, “Maybe one of the derelict cities under their collective management?” He offered hopefully, “Or a couple of towns? They manage villages for the most part at the moment, so anything more than that would be enough to convince them to shift loyalties for good.”

“Assuming they could convince their subjects to relocate, and that they would abide by my laws?” Markus replied warily.

Phillipe nodded.

“I don’t think I like the idea of awarding them a city,” Markus admitted honestly, “Even with golem supervision, it just seems like it is asking for trouble.”

Phillipe sighed and nodded in agreement, “Probably.”

“But several smaller towns near the merchants' holdings might work out better...” Markus mused aloud, “Even assuming your cousins were inclined to plot together, they wouldn’t be able to bring more than one of the merchant families in on it without provoking the others...”

Phillipe grinned and chuckled a little, “Now you are thinking like a king, Markus. Divide and conquer. Besides, the merchants will all want to marry into old nobility for the prestige too,” he added, “So it’s far more likely they will attempt to do anything besides marrying into larger holdings, and once they do, they will have too much to lose.”

Markus nodded thoughtfully and sighed, “You have my permission to approach your uncle Welard with the offer.”

“Thanks, Markus,” Phillipe beamed, “Thanks for hearing me out.”

Markus shrugged and let out another sigh, “Not all nobles are bad,” he admitted a little bitterly and waved vaguely at Phillipe to emphasise his point, “Obviously. I just...Nevermind. Go contact your uncle and consult with Peabody for suitable towns that haven’t been claimed yet.”

“Alright...” Phillipe hesitated, “You know, I’m always around if you need to talk, Markus.”

“I know,” Markus smiled wanly and waved Phillipe off, “You better go talk to your uncle before I change my mind,” he warned jokingly, wanting some time alone to process everything.

Phillipe took the hint and left Markus alone with his thoughts.

Phillipe had raised a number of important points, and Markus wasn’t quite ready to deal with them just yet. The news of the southern kingdom mustering forces to attack him wasn’t exactly helping things either.

Reflecting on his past behaviour, Markus grudgingly conceded that it was probably inevitable that such a thing would happen to him. As a number of people had pointed out previously, he had no real connections or alliances with established powers to ward off the opportunists. It didn’t really matter that Markus knew his golems could rip and tear their way through just about any human army sent against him. The problem was that he seemed to be weak and vulnerable, not that he actually was.

So long as Markus kept showing weakness, there would be no shortage of those who would try to take advantage.

It wasn’t just the nobles either, Svala and Markus had been using one another from the start, but Svala had made it painfully clear where Markus truly stood in their largely unspoken arrangement, and Markus wasn’t going to put up with it anymore. It was painfully obvious that certain chimaeras didn’t respect him in spite of the miracles he was making available to them, and Svala’s behaviour and attitude had no doubt played a part in it. So Markus was ready to begin setting examples to ensure he received the respect he was owed, even if only to cut off any other justification for pointless future violence.

Leaving the castle behind, Markus watched Aela and Hilda spar while trying to decide upon appropriate punishments he could levy against those who disrespected or harmed him in the future. Imprisonment was always an option, but in and of itself, it didn’t seem like all that much of a punishment. Torture was out of the question and so was disfigurement.

What Markus wanted was a clear and obvious warning that would act as a deterrent to others. Of course, a big part of the problem was establishing a means of punishment that would work on humans, both with and without Classes, and chimaeras.

After deliberating for a long time and reflecting on a myriad of his own life experiences, Markus still couldn’t decide upon any real forms of punishment besides imprisonment, forced labour and fines.

“You could always throw them in the stocks for public punishment,” Hilda suggested a little breathlessly after she and Aela decided to investigate the cause for his visit.

“You think that would work?” Markus asked somewhat dubiously.

“It usually does,” Hilda confirmed with a smirk, “Even more so if merchants happen to have a ready supply of expired produce for sale nearby. Although, it won’t work as well on drunkards for whatever reason. Even after they sober up, they seem to resist the lessons learned from their humiliation.”

Aela shrugged, “It’s worth trying at least. It’s either that or you could let me beat them up for you?” She offered with a toothy smile.

“I’ll keep it in mind,” Markus chuckled.

“So...” Hilda became somewhat nervous, “That other world...It’s going to happen here as well?” She asked anxiously.

Markus nodded, “The dungeons are already appearing much more frequently than they should be. It will only be a matter of time before it reaches a breaking point.”

“Damn...” Hilda cursed and wandered a short distance away before muttering quietly to herself.

“It’s a little difficult to accept,” Aela admitted, “Even after seeing it happen somewhere else, it’s just so too much, you know?”

Strangely enough, it didn’t feel that way for Markus at all, but he figured it was most likely due to his former life as a hero. Fighting off the apocalypse was probably something he had been far more familiar with. Assuming, of course, that he had been a hero at all.

Reminded of the young woman resting in the guest room, Markus impatiently wondered how much longer it would take before she was prepared to speak with him. Markus had so many questions he wanted answers to, and being forced to wait was like having an itch he was unable to scratch.

Walking with Aela back to the house, they had to jump back from the door to avoid being bowled over by Arlee as she came running outside.

“Play thime!” Arlee cried gleefully as she disappeared around the corner of the house with Dolly hot on her heels.

“You really should let her play with some of the other children,” Aela chuckled.

“I know,” Markus admitted with a wry smile, “I could always ask Yiva if she could play with some of the gentler kids.”

Aela snorted in amusement, “I think she would fit in better with the others.”

“Probably,” Markus conceded, “But I would hope that perhaps some of the shy children’s timidness might rub off a little on her.”

Arlee raced past again before Aela could respond, this time headed for the workshop.

“You didn’t really have the golems make Arlee a suit of that prosthetic armour, did you?” Aela asked with a wary smile that waned and grew more serious with each second Markus failed to provide an answer.

Markus didn’t see what the problem was. Arlee was far safer inside of her specially made P`A than she was outside of it. The mandatory helmet alone would ensure she wouldn’t be losing any more teeth from crashing into anything. The state of whatever she would hit was a different matter altogether, but it was a tradeoff Markus was comfortable making. Besides, Arlee’s interest in studying had improved dramatically since being given the P`A to play with in her study breaks.

Markus spent the rest of the day sitting with Aela, reviewing different reports from the golems supervising the refugees, while Aela practised her reading with an old romance epic.

A pair of combat golems delivered Markus’s requested volunteer early the following morning.

Peabody had already thoroughly blinded the middle-aged man's eyes with several layers of tightly bound cloth. Most likely intended to prevent the man from witnessing Peabody’s portal network, it would similarly serve to prevent him from learning of Markus’s personal portal to his new testing world.

Leading the volunteer down into the basement of the workshop, Markus activated the portal hidden in the frame of an old battered and seemingly discarded standing mirror. Waving to signal the golems to take the man through the portal, Markus waited for Hector to enter first before following after.

Now standing atop a craggy mountain top, Markus was glad for the reactive heating enchantment on his clothing.

After using the control pylons to minimise the portal’s entrance so nothing could pass through it in the event of an accident, Markus turned his attention to the volunteer. “You are mister Jacob, correct?” Markus asked, wanting to break the silence and receive consent for the experiment.

“Aye sir,” Jacob replied with surprising confidence and bravery.

“Have you been told the nature of the experiment you will be participating in today?” Markus asked, wondering if perhaps Peabody had been excessively liberal with the truth. If he had, it would explain mister Jacob’s almost cavalier attitude.

“Beyond a guarantee of ten crowns for my family? No sir,” Jacob answered apologetically, sounding slightly more anxious than he had earlier.

“Provided everything goes well, then most things should become rather self-explanatory,” Markus explained while motioning for Hector to prepare the artifice. “And I want you to know that in the event things go badly, every effort will be made to keep you safe. With this understanding, do I have your consent?”

Jacob nodded his head, causing his overlong greasy greying hair to fall over his eyes, “Yes, I do sir.”

“Alright then mister Jacob. One of my associates is going to prick one of your fingers with a needle in order to draw a drop of blood, so please don’t panic,” Markus explained calmly, hoping to reassure the man, “Then your finger will be pressed against a piece of glass, and we should soon discover if this has been a success or failure, alright?”

Tightly clenching his jaw and stiffly raising his right hand, Jacob nodded.

Signalling for the golems to proceed, Markus concentrated so he could witness any potential changes in the artifice.

The golems were quick and efficient, drawing the drop of blood necessary and pressing Jacob’s right index finger against the crystal sphere briefly before neatly treating the wound with a salve.

Markus felt the change almost immediately, the prickling of his skin reminding him of what it felt like to be inside of a dungeon.

“Um, sir? I feel like something is happening?” Jacob called out nervously.

True enough, dozens of small gelatinous and largely transparent slimes began to coagulate into being from nothingness. No larger than a penny, the slimes were gradually growing in size by absorbing the ambient mana being provided by the artifice.

“Place one in mister Jacob’s hand,” Markus ordered, “Mister Jacob, you have done very well thus far, but we are now at a crossroads to determine if this is indeed a success or a failure.”

Still holding out his hand, which was now positively trembling, Markus motioned for the golems to continue.

As Markus hoped, the slime made no attempts to attack the golem or Jacob, seemingly content to just wobble peacefully as it continued to grow.

Looking to Hector, Markus pointed to the sack hanging off the golem’s belt and motioned for it to be upended on an open space of ground away from the slimes.

Hector silently obeyed, upending the sack and spilling rotten decaying food scraps onto the ground.

Seeing that the slimes were making no efforts to feed on their own, Markus felt hopeful that the next phase of the experiment would prove at least adjacently successful. “Mister Jacob, could you please-”

“S-Sorry, but I am hearing a quiet voice,” mister Jacob apologised, “It sounds like a lost child?”

Intrigued, Markus glanced at the artifice and then back to Jacob. It took a few moments of intense scrutiny but he was able to make out a tiny thread of mana trailing from the artifice to Jacob’s right index finger. “It is all a part of the experiment,” Markus reassured him while taking care to investigate further once the need for secrecy was lessened. “What is the voice saying? Can you understand it?”

Mister Jacob turned and uncertainly pointed to the pile of rotting food scraps, “It...It’s asking if it can eat the discarded food?” He sounded more than a little embarrassed in addition to being incredibly unsure of what he was pointing at. However, he also seemed much more comfortable regarding the slime still resting on his hand.

“Say it can have all of it,” Markus insisted happily.

“Uh...It says thank you?” Mister Jacob explained nervously, “I didn’t get a chance to say anything.”

The slimes began slowly converging on the pile of refuse. Some of the larger fist sized slimes had begun producing slender tentacles of slime that were now wiggling excitedly as they drew closer to their meal.

“Try telling it to stop,” Markus ordered curiously, wondering how the shared consciousness of the dungeon would choose to react.

Some of the slimes stopped for a moment and waggled their tentacles at Markus before continuing to the food.

“Could, uh, could you stop and not eat?” Mister Jacob asked somewhat kindly.

The slimes stopped in their tracks and drooped dejectedly, the closest amongst them had only been a few inches away from a mouldy melon rind and was now sagging over and wobbling as if it were crying.

“Um...Sir? The child sounds rather upset...” Mister Jacob sounded somewhat upset himself, “Could they maybe have the food if it isn’t too much trouble?”

Markus had been leaning down to take a closer look at one of the weeping slimes and was somewhat distracted, “Hrm? Oh, alright. I think it is safe to say the experiment is a success anyway.”

“Uh, y-yes, you can eat, j-just stop shouting...” Mister Jacob stammered, obviously replying to the voice only he could hear and not Markus.

The slimes surged forwards with renewed vigour, and the closest slime seized the mouldy melon rind with its tentacles, greedily dragging it into its body and wiggling with relish.

When the rotten food scraps were all devoured and dissolved, Markus decided to address the final test. “Mister Jacob, you have done very well and I would be honoured to offer you a high paying position of employment working with your new partner if you are willing.”

“R-Really?” Mister Jacob asked, sounding quite surprised that there was more to the offer than the original payment.

“Of course,” Markus confirmed cheerily, “But I will leave the negotiation of such details to my associate. In the meantime, I must insist that your partner be rendered temporarily dormant to facilitate their travel.”

Mister Jacob said nothing for a few moments, tilting his head as he listened to a voice only he could hear, “They, uh, they are asking if there will be more food where we are going?” He sounded a little embarrassed but made a point of attempting to stare in Markus’s general direction to demonstrate his commitment all the same.

“A lot more,” Markus answered with a smirk, “Close to a never-ending supply.”

The slimes, which all now had at least a pair of tentacles, began waving their spindly appendages in manic excitement.

“They say they will go...” Mister Jacob explained with a wry smile.

The slimes began dissolving and the ambient mana density began to thin out rapidly as the artifice retracted as much mana back into itself as possible. When the ambient mana had thinned to an almost imperceptible amount, Markus deactivated the artifice from inside by diverting mana from the core enchantments. He hoped it wouldn’t do any lasting harm and was somewhat reassured by the thin thread of connection still linked to Jacob.

Reopening the portal to its regular size, they returned to the workshop basement. Making the order silently through his tablet, Markus had the combat golems escort Jacob and the artifice back so Peabody could negotiate a job placement for him in one of the cities.

Profoundly happy with the results, Markus deactivated the portal and began considering the possibilities now available through the new enchantments at his disposal.

Recalling what Phillipe had said about his uncle turning fresh recruits into soldiers, Markus wondered if he could make a sort of practice dungeon that would allow the less inexperienced fighters to gain combat experience. Theoretically, it was doable, but Markus wasn’t sure that the consciousness would be willing to repeatedly experience pain, assuming they even could. The child-like nature of the thing was a little disturbing as well.

Deciding to set aside the concept until he had a better understanding of the Guardians and whether or not they had psychological maturity. Markus left the workshop golems with a batch order for a number of different Guardians with slightly modified enchantments before returning to bed.

Even though she appeared to be sleeping when he quietly entered their room, Aela pulled Markus in close once he was beneath the blankets and embraced him possessively. Leaning into the embrace, it didn’t take long for Markus to fall asleep.

Waking up late, Markus was the last to arrive for breakfast and only Phillipe was still at the table waiting for him.

“I sent the message to my uncle with some assistance from Peabody,” Phillipe informed him excitedly, “He sent a reply just shy of an hour ago, he has agreed to serve as your marshal!”

Not as excited as Phillipe, Markus still smiled at the unexpected good news. “I guess today is my day then,” he chuckled happily, “I ran the slime experiment early this morning and it performed better than I hoped it would. Although it did raise some interesting questions about whether I would need to change some things to make other applications equally viable.”

“Really? Congratulations Markus!” Phillipe exclaimed happily, “So what’s next?”

“Personal Guardians,” Markus replied a little more seriously, “I left an order with the golems earlier, so a few of the cores should be ready by now if you want to be a part of the experiment.”

Phillipe grew slightly nervous but still appeared quite interested, “What uh...what exactly would I need to do...exactly?”

“Just prick your finger to draw a drop of blood and dab it on the core,” Markus explained with a shrug, “It’s what forms the bond and awakens the...the...well, I haven’t come up with a good name for it yet, but the bond gives the core a form of consciousness that communicates with you directly.”

“And that’s safe?” Phillipe asked a little more warily.

“Should be,” Markus agreed, “It can be reasoned with you know, they appear to be of at least a child-like intelligence.”

“Really?” Phillipe asked curiously, “I thought they would have been more like...I don’t know, animals really.”

Markus shrugged, “We won’t know for sure until we test it.”

“Alright, sure,” Phillipe agreed before hesitating again, “Wait, uh, what exactly is my Guardian meant to turn into?”

Markus grinned, “I have a few different options actually. I wanted to see if it made a difference in regards to loyalty, intelligence and overall obedience. Cara’s people were rather vague on that particular subject.”

Phillipe’s mounting enthusiasm dampened somewhat at that revelation, but he continued following Markus to the workshop all the same.

Just as Markus had hoped, the golems had prioritised making one of each type available before moving on to creating duplicates.

“So...Do I just pick one?” Phillipe asked nervously as he surveyed the near-identical fist-sized crystal orbs carefully ensconced on the table, “You mentioned different options?” He prompted when Markus didn’t immediately reply.

“Right,” Markus nodded and concentrated so he could see the flow of mana and differentiate them more easily, “Those three should be improved giant wolves, the next two are monstrous bears, and then this one is a slightly altered wyvern.”

Phillip's jaw dropped, “A wyvern?! Are you mad Markus?!”

“Nobody said you have to choose the wyvern,” Markus replied defensively, “Besides, the whole point of this is to make sure that they are tame, or can at least be trained to become so, remember?”

“Right...” Phillipe relented with a sigh and shifted his attention towards the giant wolf cores.

Markus decided not to mention the dragon guardian he intended to test in a much more secure location later.

Phillipe pointed to the second orb in the row, “I guess I choose this one? So what do I do now?”

“Take the crystal orb and put it down somewhere it won’t disturb anything, prick your finger and then dab it with your blood,” Markus explained while pointing to an open space on the floor near the door.

Phillipe nodded and did as Markus told him, using his boot to stop the orb from rolling away on the wooden floor.

A slime-like gel began forming over the orb the moment Phillipe’s blood touched its surface. Expanding to form a ball roughly two feet in diameter, the ball was too dense to see through with normal vision, Phillipe could only watch and wait to see what would happen.

Not nearly as limited, Markus’s eyes grew wide in surprise as he watched what he could only rationalise as gestation progressing at an accelerated rate before his eyes. Connected to the core at all times, the partially formed pup rapidly developed from minute to minute until the crystal orb was subsumed into its chest cavity. Nearly having outgrown its womb, the giant wolf pup suddenly opened its right eye and stared back at Markus.

“Markus...Are you seeing this?” Phillipe gasped, gently placing his hand against the surface of the rapidly thinning artificial womb.

Markus was about to reply but was interrupted as the pup reached out one of its front paws to make contact with Phillipe’s hand, causing the artificial womb to burst and splatter the workshop floor with the strange slime.

The large puppy whimpered and whined while wiggling its way closer to Phillipe and resting its snout on his knee.

Gently stroking the pup’s head, Phillipe stared in amazement as the strange slime thinned and evaporated from his hand and the surrounding floor.

Having anticipated some form of reclamation, Markus wasn’t nearly as surprised, but it was still fascinating to watch as the Guardian recycled the materials of its own birth so efficiently.

“So?” Markus asked curiously, “Are you hearing any voices?”

Phillipe nodded distractedly, “I wouldn’t exactly call it intelligent though-OUCH!” He recoiled his prosthetic hand after the pup took a rather deliberate nip at one of his fingers.

“Its comprehension level seems quite high,” Markus noted with a smirk, “So it might be best if you get some advice from Svenn and his father. They raised hounds, so they probably know a thing or two to stop your little pup from running wild. You might want to try feeding it something from the kitchens as well, see how fast the little thing can grow.”

At the mention of food, the little pup began manically wagging its tail and barking.

“Now he’s just repeating, food, over and over again,” Phillipe winced as he struggled to get a hold on the pup and get to his feet. It was an impressive feat given the pup’s bulk.

Sending one of the golems to help keep a watch on Phillipe’s Guardian, just in case, Markus carefully contemplated the remaining Guardian crystals before heading back to the house.

“Heehee! Thilly puppy!” Arlee giggled hysterically from the kitchen.

Peeking through the door, Markus found the pup headfirst in the morning’s gruel pot and manically pushing it around the kitchen in its excitement to get at the leftovers inside.

Arlee was struggling to wriggle her way free of her mother’s arms while Phillipe appeared both relieved, worried, and profoundly amused.

Leaving them be, Markus went looking for more volunteers. Sven and his father were an obvious choice, so Markus decided to go ask them next. Assuming they wouldn’t say no, he had Hector store away two of the giant wolf cores before making his way over to the large house attached to the kennels.

Svenn and his father Torvald were both outside tending to a small garden beside the house and saw Markus coming.

“What can we do for you sire?” Torvald asked with enthusiastic sincerity, “It is about time I repay you for your generosity!”

Markus gave them both a basic explanation of what a Guardian was and what his general expectations were, specifically that the father and son determine if training the Guardians was possible, and whether it would be effective enough to guarantee public safety.

“We will do our best Markus!” Svenn insisted adamantly and he accepted the Guardian core.

“That’s right!” Torvald agreed enthusiastically as he accepted the second Guardian core.

“Phillipe should be paying you a visit shortly as well,” Markus added, “He activated the first Guardian just a little earlier.”

“I told you I smelled a whelping!” Torvald hissed with a grin as he nudged his son in the ribs.

Svenn just shrugged and gave Markus a long-suffering smile. “So we just need to give them a drop of blood?” he asked, steering the conversation back on topic.

Markus nodded and offered Svenn a small sewing needle, “Just a dab of blood is all it takes.”

Svenn accepted the needle and then he and his father placed the cores on the ground and initiated the bond just as Phillipe had done. Just as before, each core developed an artificial womb and began developing a giant wolf pup inside.

As much as Markus had tried to prepare them for what they would see, Svenn and Torvald both stared in open mouthed wonder as the artificial womb thinned and revealed the fully formed giant wolf cubs inside.

“I saw it with my own eyes,” Torvald muttered with a wry smile, “But I still ain't sure I believe it...”

Svenn nodded in agreement, “I know what you mean...”

Markus gave them both a strange look, imagining how they would react to seeing events unfold on the inside from start till finish.

“And he talks!” Torvald barked with a grin, “Just like ye said!”

“Where did the crystal core go?” Svenn asked while scratching beneath his pup’s chin.

“Somewhere inside the ribcage, I think,” Markus hedged. Even after watching the process three times he still wasn’t absolutely sure.

Torvald gave his pup’s ribs a few probing presses with his fingers and nodded, “There’s something in there that usually ain't,” he confirmed confidently.

Leaving Svenn and his father behind so they could talk shop in peace, Markus also left them with a tablet they could use to see the mana veins inside of their Guardians. He wasn’t sure if they would need it or not, but decided it couldn’t hurt.

With no other projects immediately requiring his attention, Markus plucked up his courage and decided it would probably be a good idea to spend at least part of the day training with Hilda and Aela. He had been getting lax with his exercises lately and knew that sooner or later the mistake was bound to cost him dearly.

Aela, of course, was only too happy to send Markus running laps around the training ground while she and Hilda continued sparring with a myriad of different weapons.

Aware that building a solid foundation was important, Markus still couldn’t help but grow somewhat resentful as he began his fortieth lap and began struggling to continue placing one foot in front of the other. Markus very nearly quit when Hilda suggested he should do another thirty before taking her place and sparring with Aela.

Instead, Markus opted for getting his beating over with sooner rather than later. At least Aela would carry him to the bath afterwards and he wouldn’t have to stew in his sweat while waiting for Hilda and Aela to grind each other down to a standstill.

Even with Aela taking it easy on him, Markus could only land hits in his tired state by accepting them in return. While his armour absorbed the brunt of the damage, Markus would still be thrown around the training ground and struggled to keep his balance or regain his footing after each exchange.

Aela herself had no need to rely on her armour, deflecting his attacks with her bare hands in order to leave Markus open to counterattacks. It was simply the way of things. Markus’s gifts were not suited for martial combat, and try as he might, Markus needed a whole mess of artifices and enchantments to skew things in his favour. This was why he truly hoped the Guardian experiments would help bridge that gap and put yet another body between himself and a brutal death.

While relaxing in his hot bath, Hector informed Markus that the modified dungeon core he had requested was now complete.

Similar to a dungeon core, the modified version would theoretically create monsters that could be controlled through contact with the core. The alterations made to the enchantments that dictated the monsters roaming behaviour would also hopefully prevent the monsters from being able to leave the core’s predetermined operating area.

Technically, the monsters wouldn’t have been able to do so without a portal providing a loophole in the existing enchantment, but Markus wasn’t keen on leaving it to chance. It was far better for the monsters created by the core to remain locked away between serving as training exercises, rather than risking them getting loose and wreaking havoc. Assuming the control enchantment failed for whatever reason.

Not wanting to get too ahead of himself, Markus decided to test the modified core later in the afternoon after giving his sore muscles a chance to recuperate.

“You are getting better,” Aela commented with a grin before briefly ducking down beneath the hot soapy water.

Kneading his sore thigh, Markus was forced to take her word for it. Phillipe had been making all manner of excuses to avoid another practice session, and Markus didn’t trust the mercenaries to fight him properly. They had too much of a vested interest in making him look good over actually providing a challenge. Either that or they were afraid of what Markus would do to them if they accidentally injured him.

Aela re-emerged at Markus’s side, her hair hanging over her face like a tangle of swamp weeds as she planted a wet kiss on his cheek, “This bath was such a good idea,” she purred happily in Markus’s ear before submerging into the water again.

The recessed bath had been Aela’s idea, more or less. After a week of not so subtle hints about missing the hotsprings, Markus had collaborated with Tina to design an artificial hotspring. Lacking the minerals present in a natural hotspring, the artificial hotspring was technically just a large heated body of water connected to large heating vats and a runoff chute. All the same, Markus was glad Aela liked it.

Personally, Markus preferred it to the large tub because it was so much easier to climb the steps than it was to clamber over the edge of the tub. His preference only intensified on days when his recovering muscles could rebel from even the slightest strain.

Markus was convinced Aela’s primary reasons for liking the outdoor bath was the consistently maintained heat and the sheer size of the body of water.

Markus had originally been led to believe that a primary purpose of the hotsprings was to socialise while relaxing or bathing, and Tina had conveniently not made any effort to correct him. So the final result was a thirty foot long and fifteen-foot wide ox horn-shaped pool of water made from brick and mortar recessed ten feet deep on the outermost edge. Deep steps on either end assisted in entering or exiting the water, and a large shelf two feet below the water on the innermost edge provided ample sitting room for relaxing.

Surrounded by a twenty-foot high wall and patrolled by three combat golems, the glorified outdoor bath was restricted for use by Markus’s household only. However, a far more utilitarian public bath was undergoing construction in the town. Far more massive in scale, the public bath was intended as a free public service to encourage better health through improved hygiene. Combined with rudimentary washing facilities for cleaning clothes, Markus hoped it would improve the living conditions of his poorer citizens.

Easing himself out of the water, Markus sat on the tiled edge of the bath and began towelling himself off so he could get dressed. “Do you want to join me for my next experiment?” Markus asked Aela as she crested the surface of the water, “Or do you want to stay in the water?”

“Hrm...” Aela parted her hair dubiously considering the wooden rack holding their clothes, “Which experiment?” She asked cagily.

Markus tried his best not to snicker. “The altered dungeon core,” he replied with a conspiratorial smile, “You know, the one that spawns monsters we can command?”

Aela perked up almost immediately, “Oh! Yes, I do want to see that one!” She exclaimed eagerly and momentarily disappeared beneath the water before leaping out and landing near Markus, just about drenching both him and his towel in the process.

Rather than complain, Markus had the good sense to duck as Aela shook herself like a dog, wiping her tail to dry it with one brutal snap before pushing her hair back out of her face. Suddenly noticing Markus prone and practically soaked, Aela’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment, “Sorry,” she apologised and helped Markus to his feet, “I just got a little excited...”

“It’s alright,” Markus sighed with a smile and kissed Aela’s forehead, confirming that her recklessness was very likely due to heat-induced mania impairing her judgement.

Abandoning his towel on one of the drying racks, Markus towelled himself off before tying the towel around his waist and helping Aela dry out her hair. Thicker than human hair, it was strangely somewhat water-resistant under normal circumstances. However, a piping hot bath with soap was not one of them and had left her hair as soaked as Markus’s had been.

Since Aela didn’t want to braid her hair while it was damp and unwilling to wait and delay the experiment, Aela opted for tying her hair back in a thick ponytail using a length of leather cord instead.

Once they were both dressed and made a short stop at the house to don their armour, Markus and Aela collected the two-foot-wide experimental dungeon core from the golems in the workshop before heading down into the basement.

“Why did you hide the portal in the mirror?” Aela asked curiously, giving the cast iron frame an inquisitive tap.

Markus shrugged and scratched his nose, feeling a little embarrassed that he didn’t really have a good answer besides general mystique, “I just thought it would be interesting,” Markus replied with feigned glibness.

“Oh...” Aela seemed disappointed, “I thought it would have been because of the reflection being like another world...” She observed while staring absently at her reflection.

“That was a part of it,” Markus admitted sheepishly.

“I knew it!” Aela crowed victoriously, beaming as she gave Markus a condescending grin, “You can be so weird Markus.”

Markus shrugged, “You got me,” he admitted, “Got to be a little weird to like a girl with a tail that can break stone.”

Aela stiffened for a moment, her expression faltering before shifting into a savage grin, “Of course!” she agreed with a throaty chuckle before making room so Markus could activate the portal.

Making sure to minimise the portal once they passed through, Markus took a few moments to investigate the place where the slimes had devoured the food scraps earlier that morning. Besides the footprints in the loose dirt, there was no sign the slimes had even existed. Assuming that the tiny slimes had been too light to leave a trail, Markus shrugged and went looking for a suitably open area to conduct the test.

Confident that Hector and Aela would be able to keep an eye out for any trouble, Markus allowed himself to relax somewhat and focus on his task.

After a half-hour of wandering, Markus found a relatively flat and open area that would suit his needs. Only a few minutes from the portal, he had the poor luck to have gone looking in the opposite direction first before wandering back around and finding the relatively flat cliff face.

“So, what is supposed to happen?” Aela asked cautiously, her cooling blood having returned a certain degree of caution to her temperament.

“Well...” Markus paused for a moment to think, “Technically, once I activate it, it should begin creating monsters, or monster, if I guessed the amount of mana correctly. This core is enchanted only to create goblins. So if something goes wrong it should be relatively easy to settle things down again.”

Aela nodded approvingly and motioned for Markus to continue.

“The goblin ‘shouldn’t’ really do anything without commands from the altered dungeon core,” Markus explained, taking care to put emphasis on should. “So if the goblin attempts anything hostile, it would be best if you just kill it and I will try to figure out what went wrong afterwards, alright?”

“Alright,” Aela agreed determinedly, firmly gripping Markus’s crystal headed spear as she widened her stance.

“I want to see if golems can control the monsters. So after I activate the core, Hector will pick up the core and hopefully order the goblin around,” Markus really wanted it to work without any problems. Things had been going a bit too smooth lately. Normally that wouldn’t be a problem, but after being conditioned by so many partial successes and failures in the past, Markus had grown accustomed to it as a sign of progress. On top of everything else, he was not looking forward to the uncountable number of ways this particular experiment could go wrong.

Motioning for Hector to place the large crate holding the altered dungeon core on the ground, Markus took a few moments to limber up and ready his shield, just in case. Concentrating and looking down at the crystal core, Markus couldn’t help but marvel at the fine craftmanship the golems had put into its etching work and enchantments. Linking the dormant enchantments to the mana reservoir, Markus felt an immediate shift in the atmosphere as the core began releasing mana to establish its territory.

Carefully moving away, Markus scanned his immediate surroundings with the large crystal pane built into his shield. Initially only detecting the faint traces of ambient mana released by the core, Markus discovered a dense pocket of mana forming a few feet away from the core. “There!” Markus pointed to the growing pocket of mana so Aela would be ready if something went wrong.

“Got it!” Aela replied, imposing herself between Markus and the rough location he had indicated.

“Hector, get ready to take hold of the core,” Markus ordered while doing his best to keep his nerves in check.

“I Obey,” Hector answered obediently, kneeling down beside the crate and hovering its right hand an inch above the core’s surface.

After close to half an hour of waiting, the squat form of the goblin very suddenly appeared as the gathered mana seemed to reach critical mass and burst like a swollen boil. Two and a half feet tall, warty, with large floppy ears, a bulbous nose and sickly green skin, what Markus had witnessed of the goblin’s ‘birth’ seemed quite appropriate.

Completely naked, the goblin seemed perfectly content exposing itself to the elements, making no attempts to cover itself or seek shelter. Its mismatched goat eyes stared blankly over the cliff face and into the open expanse of nothingness. If it was truly sentient or sapient, it made no signs to give it away.

“What should we do?” Aela asked quietly.

“Maybe try provoking it?” Markus wondered aloud, “See if we can make it respond before we move onto the next part of the test?”

Aela nodded and transferred the spear to her left hand. Slowly kneeling down, she picked up a small stone from the dirt.

The goblin made no signs of having noticed anything.

Aela drew back her right arm.

The Goblin continued staring blankly into nothingness.

Aela threw the rock.

The goblin’s head erupted like an overripe melon, spraying blood, brain matter and pieces of bone over the surrounding area.

“Oops...” Aela hissed awkwardly.

The goblin’s lifeless body fell to the ground.

Looking through the crystal pane on his shield, Markus was far too interested in what he was seeing to pay much attention.

The mana inside of the goblin’s corpse was being drained, but instead of collecting back in the core it was instead slowly gathering a half dozen feet away, presumably forming a new goblin.

After another half hour of waiting, the previous goblin’s body fully disintegrated and a new goblin suddenly burst into being and assumed the vigil of its fallen kin.

“I’ll try to wing it this time,” Aela insisted sheepishly as she selected a new rock.

Taking the goblin’s arm off just below the shoulder had no immediately visible effects. However, blood loss soon caused the goblin to wobble on the spot for a couple of minutes before collapsing.

In a similar fashion to the first, the dead goblin was drained from the inside and used to form yet another goblin while its body slowly disintegrated.

“Should we maybe try touching it?” Aela asked with visible reluctance.

Markus shook his head, “No. If losing an arm didn’t trigger a hostile response, then I can live with that.”

Aela shrugged, visibly relieved and not inclined to press the issue.

“Alright, Hector. Make contact with the core and try to take command of the goblin,” Markus ordered while doing his best to keep his mounting excitement in check.

“As you-” Hector’s voice was cut off abruptly as the golem made contact with the core.

Aela began cautiously raising the crystal headed spear, “Is that something we should be worried about?” She asked nervously while angling her head so she could keep both the goblin and Hector in her line of sight.

“I’m not sure,” Markus admitted anxiously, “Give me a few minutes to try and see what is going on.”

Aela nodded grimly.

It was more difficult to read the flow of mana at a distance, but Markus was fairly certain that Hector’s enchantments were intact and unaltered.

The core was definitely reacting to Hector, but the reaction itself was chaotic. The core’s enchantments were activating and deactivating in rapid succession and out of sequence.

“Markus, the goblin’s doing something,” Aela warned quietly.

Looking toward the goblin, Markus’s eyes widened in shock.

The goblin was twitching and spasming violently, and somehow in spite of it all remained standing.

“Hector! Release the core!” Markus commanded, his stomach lurching as the goblin’s fit caused it to break its neck and dislocate an arm.

The goblin collapsed to the ground, its body intermittently spasming as it most likely began to choke on its tongue.

“-obey...” Hector stood up and turned its helmet from left to right surveying the immediate area.

Checking the core, Markus was relieved and a little concerned that it appeared to be functioning normally again. “Maybe they just aren’t compatible?” Markus worriedly mused aloud, “There are a lot of enchantments between the two...”

“What do we do now?” Aela asked nervously, “Maybe you should just shut it off and work on it some more?” She suggested somewhat apprehensively.

“No...” Markus slowly shook his head and tried to think of what else could have caused the problem. Coming up blank, Markus turned his attention to Hector, “What happened when you made contact with the orb?”

“I...I do not recall, Creator...” Hector replied with an odd inflection to its voice, as the golem was uncertain of itself and was unsettled by that uncertainty. “I made contact with the core as commanded...Then I released it...”

Markus frowned, “Conflicting enchantments could explain the absence of memory...” He reasoned aloud, “Aela, the next goblin is going to appear over there,” Markus pointed to a small pile of pebbles on the far side of the clearing, “I’m going to get a closer look to see what is going on with the core, watch my back, alright?”

Aela nodded determinedly and escorted Markus to the crate containing the core before continuing towards the next goblin spawn location.

Concentrating on activating his own mana sight, Markus began pouring over the core’s enchantments to see what could have caused the problem. Still unable to find what might be causing the problem, Markus began to seriously consider testing the core himself.

“The goblin is here,” Aela warned without turning around, her tail scraping too and fro across the loose mountain debris in her agitation.

Markus looked up from his analysis and after confirming that the goblin was just like the others, he promptly ignored it.

“I’m going to touch the core,” Markus called out and tugged the gauntlet off his right hand.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Aela asked anxiously, “What if you blank out as Hector did?”

“Then Hector will move me away from the Core,” Markus replied with slowly ebbing confidence, “Put the goblin down if it does anything weird...”

“Okay...” Aela replied in a tone that made it clear that she thought this was a very bad idea.

Taking a deep breath, Markus reached his bare hand towards the core. The crystal was cold to the touch from being exposed to the mountain air, but Markus didn’t really mind. Tentative reaching out with his mana to establish a manual connection, Markus was taken off guard when his mana established the final connection seemingly of its own accord. Feeling the core’s mana suddenly shift and sensing hostile intent, Markus began to panic in earnest as he realised he couldn’t pull away his hand.

Falling hard to the ground, Markus landed on his side and found the disembodied head of the goblin sitting a few feet from his face.

“Markus!” Aela rushed to Markus's side and helped him to his feet, revealing the headless torso of the goblin slumped over the edge of the crate.

Feeling quite faint, Markus leaned heavily on Aela for support. Knowing for certain that what he had experienced was not at all what he had intended, Markus stared down at the shimmering surface of the crystal core and seriously considered if the experiment was even worth continuing at all.