Ruinous Return

Stellas woke with the rising sun and prodded Thomas with her finger. The former Knowledge hero roused from slumber before smiling at her gently, "Good morning," he muttered from his bedroll.

She extricated herself from her own bedroll and fetched water from the stream running along the road. "We shouldn't be too far now," she stated.

Thomas nodded as he began to start a fire, using a small, weak spell to light kindling. "Yeah. Maybe get there this evening." He blew on the tinder underneath as the flames caught, then leaned back as the smoke billowed up from the wet wood. "Then I can just be 'Uncle Thomas' and teach the kids." He smiled, "Or maybe convince Ben to find a dungeon and drag me along so I can get a decent mana core. Then…I can go find her."

Stellas sat down next to him and put the pot of water to boil. "I know relatively little about mana cores. Professor Misery said that it was not important."

Thomas nodded, "If you have a decent mana core already? Yeah. She's right." He laid back on the bedroll and put his hands behind his head, looking sideways at her. "Here's the basics. Every person on Ghomar has a mana core. Most people have a crappy one. It can do very small spells, like making a few sparks, a few drops of water, a tiny breeze softly blowing – minor things like that." He pointed at Stellas' tails, "Then there's some that have a stronger mana core. For Vharthon, it's easy to tell, because the more tails they have denote a stronger mana core. Sadly, not every race has the same easily identifiable trait to determine such power."

Stellas nodded, "Right. I knew that much."

"Then in order of ascending power, you have monster cores. Just like people, animals have mana cores. Theirs are normally incredibly insignificant, even less powerful than the average person. But unlike people, animals have constantly open mana channels. Mana just runs unchecked through them. So, when an animal comes into being with a powerful mana core, its physical form shifts and changes – boom, you get a monster." He reached into his bag and pulled out a few potatoes, tossing them into the now boiling water with a pinch of salt. "Then you have dungeon cores. The Elenthians had powerful mana cores. Every one of them would be the equivalent to a seven-tailed Vharthon, for comparison purposes.

Stellas' eyes went wide. So, their average citizen was more powerful in magic than me? That was…shocking. She wasn't a student of history, so the fact that this ancient race didn't just develop the language of magic and were naturally gifted was a new revelation. "But mana cores fade after a creature dies. Right?"

"Not quite," Thomas said as he sat up to stir the pot. He looked at Stellas, "When a creature dies, person or animal, there is a moment where you could harvest the mana core. Consume it. If you consume a stronger core than your own, it overrides your core, and becomes your new primary core. You lose all the prior ones you had collected."

"But harvesting mana cores is forbidden!"

Thomas nodded, "Yes, it is. But only for people. Animals do it all the time, when a carnivore eats an herbivore. Hunter eats prey. They consume the mana core. Monsters aren't just made by chance – sometimes the most apex predators harvest enough mana cores from their prey to become monsters." He sighed as he pulled the potatoes out with a pair of wooden tongs before setting them back into the bubbling liquid. "Harvesting from people is forbidden, and I'm not sure why. I did the research, and the only idea I can come to is that the mana core is what we referred to in my world as a soul. The innermost part of a being." He looked up at her, "It would be akin to cannibalism."

That made Stellas sick to her stomach, and she had to turn away for a moment to catch her breath. "So," she said calmly as she regained her composure, "It is fine to consume monster cores, because it's just like hunting animals."

"Precisely. You could also harvest animal mana cores; but you'd need a hundred to match the mana core of a person, that's how insignificant they are." Thomas replied with a smile. "You're learning fast," he chuckled.

"But you said there's only a moment to harvest the mana core."

"That's right. However, that moment can be extended by one thing…fear. When something is on the brink of death, normally dread and fear take over. The more fear, the longer the mana core…sticks around. The more time someone has to consume it. Everything is afraid of death. Even dumb animals and monsters have a primal need to survive. Threaten that survival, and they experience fear. You can see it in the eyes of a rabbit you snare as you approach it with a knife. It's there…primal, but there still." He sounded sullen at that last note.

"Then how come Elenthian dungeon cores stick around for so long?"

Thomas smiled, "Ah, they had a different view of mana cores entirely. They saw mana cores as a communal resource – something to be shared and passed down through generations. But they couldn't just be freely given, they had to be earned. They thrived in a meritocracy. Most Elenthians, when on their death beds, performed a final spell. One that would turn their mana core into a dungeon core, and create challenges based upon their desired specifications in the Elenthir verses used to make the spell. At least, that's what I was able to gather from the scattered records."

"And when you defeat a dungeon, you prove your worth, and can claim the mana core."

Thomas nodded, "You've got it." He pulled the potatoes out again and set them on a flat stone to cool as he pulled the water from the heat. "Then, when that mana core's holder dies, or consumes a stronger core and the dungeon/Elenthian core is 'lost', the dungeon returns."

"So, it goes animal, person, monster, dungeon/Elenthian, then what?"

"Hero cores come next in power." He stared into the flames as he prodded the potato with a wooden fork. "After that is the Destroyer core. The strongest mana core of them all."

Stellas went silent for a moment, contemplating what he had said. "But you said the stronger core you consume overrides a weaker one."

"That's right."

"If you cleared a dungeon with this Ben, then the dungeon core would become your primary core, right? And you would lose all lesser mana cores you had accumulated?"

"That's right."

"What does that do to you though? If it's like this 'soul' you speak of?"

"It changes your personality," Thomas said as he took a bite out of the cooled potato. He exhaled some steam as he gingerly worked his way through it. "In minor ways, normally. For example, I was always a bit of a know-it-all before I was summoned. But once I was summoned as the Knowledge hero? Well, my thirst for knowledge was unquenchable. I would even do risky things for new knowledge."

"What happens to the mana core…persona? The person inside of it? Or the cores of things you'd already consumed?"

Thomas shrugged, "For your first question, they move on. I don't know what they moved on to – the Elenthians were maddeningly vague about that. So, the person inside it, or whatever was left of them – their soul as I'd call it – moves on." He took another bite and swallowed before continuing, "As for your second question; the ones you had already consumed, well whatever 'soul' was inside them moved on already, so the energy just…returns to the world."

"What about a core of equal power? Say, you conquer two dungeons with Ben and get two dungeon/Elenthian cores?"

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"The first one you acquired keeps its primary status."

Stellas nodded and took a bite of her potato, contemplating what he had said. "Two more questions."

"Ask away," Thomas said with a smile.

"Theoretically, couldn't a person torture people to death and then harvest their mana cores for more power?"

Thomas' demeanor darkened and he looked at her with a look that sent ice through her veins. "You could…but you would have to be truly sadistic to do that."

Stellas nodded, "Second…question. What would happen if one person got the strongest mana core, this Destroyer core, and all the Hero cores?"

Thomas smiled, "I have no idea."

Stellas hadn't been around Thomas for long, so she didn't know all his tells. But…he was holding something back. What happens if someone gets all those cores?

Volio left Ben and Trisha's homestead, wishing them well as he bought a horse and rode North. As he went along the road, the bubbling brook next to him, he couldn't help but imagine Trisha and Ben's life. Several kids, thriving business, a cozy home with plenty of surrounding accoutrements. It was a luxurious, peaceful existence with purpose. Raising kids and training healers. Allocating guards to the healers so that they could travel in a business duo was a genius move as well.

Volio felt a pang of jealousy. If Lyn hadn't died fighting the Demonic Dragon, they could have had that life. They could have been Ben and Trisha's neighbors. They could have been together and had kids of their own, raising them alongside their friends. He squeezed the reins of the mount tighter, until he felt them cut into his hand. But you were a coward, Volio. You abandoned her. And that guilt gnawed at him. He was her soul mate. He knew it. He was hers; she was his. And yet he had left her because he was afraid. Afraid of dying.

He reached into his hip pouch and pulled out Lyn's clothes, looking down at them. I'm worthy of her affection. She wouldn't have given me this otherwise. He took a deep whiff of her scent before putting the clothes back into the pouch and pulled out the pair of rings. Twin gold bands. Simple, but elegant in their own way. When I get back, I'm proposing. He knew she would accept.

They had a connection, after all.

He pocketed the rings as he heard a pair of voices coming over a small hill. He kept riding, and soon a duo crested into his line of sight. One was a Vharthon with six tails and red fur, save for the tail-tips which were white. Like the foxes of Kent, he thought as he remembered his dream of performing Shakespeare in England on the stage.

Riding alongside her was a man who had extremely short hair and was covered with scars. He was talking in Triskol, and was telling this Vharthon about…Elenthir phrases? Customizing spells. Only a few people knew Elenthir that well. "Thomas?" Volio called out.

The man looked forward, and grinned, waving, "Volio! You're alive!" He rode forward to the stunned Volio, "The Destroyer Duskari didn't kill you!"

Volio nodded, "Uhm…yeah…how…are you here?" Thomas looked pretty different. He was younger, first off. And the scars were another thing entirely – they seemed to cover him from the neck down.

Thomas shook his head, "Long story. You're coming from Trisha's?" Volio nodded. "What brings you up North this far? I thought you'd be all over your 'Lyn'," he said with air quotes.

"I…messages." Volio pulled out the package for Thomas and handed it to him. The Knowledge hero gave him a quizzical look before opening it. He read the letter, and his face went pale as the blood drained from it.

The Vharthon woman rode up to the two, "I'm sorry, I don't know you. Who are you?" she asked.

"Volio Mori…Archer hero."

The woman bowed her head, "I'm Stellas."

Thomas looked up at Volio, "So it really is her. That's confirmation."

Volio nodded, feeling validation at his beliefs over all these years. "Yes."

"Who is really her?" Stellas asked.

Thomas waved her question off, "I'll tell you later." He looked up at Volio, "I'm guessing you're heading up to Misty next?" Volio nodded. "Who else got these?"

"Everyone. You're the last two."

Thomas nodded, "Well…What are you planning?"

Volio looked South to the now-out-of-sight volcano. "Deliver to Misty…then use my last crystal arrow to get back to her."

Thomas' eyes went wide, "You'd waste that arrow just to get back faster? You realize it is the only way to traverse the whole world if you chose."

Volio looked back to Thomas, "I don't care. I want to be with her."

"Right. Well," Thomas swapped to English, "I am going to Trisha and Ben's. I'll talk this over with them."

"Do what you want. My job is done. Bye, Thomas." Volio spurred his steed onward. Towards his last delivery.

Then I can get back to you. My beloved. My Lyn.

Lyn met up with Vael and Gael as they left Lynhold and began towards the last dungeon in the Valley of the Volcano. It would be a few hours walk to get there, and Lyn didn't mind the leisurely travel. She used the external shifting spell to repress the draconic features and willed her armor to its most revealing configuration. The day was windy, and she wanted to feel it caress her skin. Looking up to the mountains, she thought about how amazing the breeze must feel atop the peaks. If only I could fly. She glanced back at Gael and Vael. The twins seemed to be lost in thought.

A few hours passed and Vael finally spoke, "Lyn, you trust us, yes?"

"Yes," Lyn replied as she turned to face her companions.

"More than this Alchemist and Archer hero you're manipulating?"

"Yes. You two are loyal. I don't inherently trust any of the heroes. Volio…gah, he's a creep. I have always disliked him."

"Why?" Gael asked. "He is just interested in you romantically or physically. I was able to tell that from your interactions."

Lyn shook her head, "I don't know if you'd understand."

"Try me," Gael replied.

She took a deep breath before letting it out, "Right. He's a creep. You probably didn't have someone like this growing up, since you have a tight-knit community. I grew up in a small town. I've known the Archer hero most of my life. And ever since we started high school – uhm, higher learning. You know, history and reading." The twins nodded and she continued, "Anyways. He found an attraction to me?"

"And you did not bed him out of curiosity?" Vael asked.

"Eww, no! Never!" Lyn shuddered.

"Why?" Gael asked. "You were part of the same Conclave. Around the same age."

Lyn sighed with frustration, "I said you both wouldn't get it, and this is what I meant." She rubbed her temples and closed her eyes. "Okay, let's try it this way. You ever had someone walk in on you while you're using the latrine?"

Vael frowned, "Yes. Very disgraceful behavior."

"Right, so think of that level of intrusion. But I had to deal with it every, single, day. He stalked me much like a hunter would their prey. Always following me to the skate park…sort of like a training field for sports."

"Ah," Gael said, "I've heard of these 'sports' before. Some of the other Conclaves brought them during a trade visit. One dealing with a large sphere you were to kick without touching your hands."

"Okay, right, well this was like a training field. And he would just stare at me. He would peek in my windows at night, follow me to and from school. He left weird presents on my doorstep."

"He is enthralled with you," Vael commented.

"And I don't like him!" Lyn shouted back. She shook her head, "Sorry. That anger wasn't directed at you. I just…he gives me the creeps. I hate how I feel around him."

Gael shrugged, "Then tell him."

"If I do that, then I can't manipulate him anymore. He is still the Archer hero. If he doesn't serve, then what I'm trying to do here is going to be in jeopardy. He knows little, but even a little is more than I'm comfortable with."

"Kill him," Vael stated. "If you don't want to, I don't mind doing so. Whatever you command."

"No, I can't just kill him. He's my classmate. He was my ally."

"Allegiances change," Gael stated. "You are no longer Lyn the Scout. You are Lyn the Destroyer. And it sounds like if he is a threat, and you are unsure of your ability to command his devotion…he is a liability. It has been ten years since you were allies. Let the allegiance die with your old self."

But…could I really kill him? Or even order his death? Back on Earth before they were summoned, she just wanted him to leave her alone. On Ghomar, he'd lessened on some of the behavior, but she saw the way he still craved her. Hell, to get him to do this whole messenger gig, she had to really put on the moves despite the revulsion she felt doing so. I don't think I can. "I…I'll think on it," she said noncommittally.

Vael walked past her, and Lyn followed with Gael close behind. "You are the Destroyer. Not his friend or ally. Use him for your purposes, and then if he does not continue to serve as a useful tool, discard him."

Gael nodded, "This is the way. Just as you did with removing Bhelarm and Poweno; you have already shown yourself capable of removing those that are against your interests."

Lyn contemplated that for a moment. She had ordered the lifetime imprisonment of one man, and the death of another. And neither action had really bothered her. I have the power of the goddess of destruction. I make the morals. She wasn't on Earth. There were no gods here. Just the power of a deity within her, and the shattered pieces of another deity scattered around Ghomar.

Still, the turmoil left a swirling feeling in her stomach. And it wasn't the mana core bubbling up in her. It was a knot of dread as the morals she was raised with in a pseudo-religious household clashed with the reality that she was not the same Lyn as before. The idea that the ideology she was raised within was, by nature of Ghomar's history and the existence of the Destroyer core within her, false…at least in this world.

That still didn't help with the thought of Volio coming back and being an absolute creep that just disgusted her to her core. No matter his devotion to her. It was lust, she was sure of that much. It wasn't fanatic devotion like what Bolvon had demonstrated.

If he acts on it, he suffers the consequences. Of that conviction, she was absolute.

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