Chapter 4: Flesh

What did it mean?

My discarded scale-flesh glowed with the same light as the Great Core. I remembered vividly, despite the distraction of the fire-pain, the feeling of the Great Core changing. I remembered the overwhelming hot-fire that pierced through my head-scales.

I remembered the flickering of the thought-light.

Dungeon Core (Aspect: Time) Integrated.

Had the Great Core and I become...one? I could feel a sense of power, similar to the way that I had always been aware of the Great Core, emanating from the top of my head-scales. I shuddered at the thought-guess, filled with overwhelming joy. It was a great honor. Even more, it was a great responsibility.

I examined the glow of my shed scale-flesh. It was beautiful. I wished that my current scales glowed with that light, that I might feel even closer to the Great Core, but I knew that would have been a dangerous thing. The bad-things were attracted to the light and power of the Great Core, just as I could faintly smell the power of other nearby Dungeon Cores. It wasn’t an exact sense, but it was enough to get a general direction. Even without that light to bless my scales, it was possible that the bad-things could sense me now.

I worriedly hissed, flicking out a tongue to taste the air. I had wandered far in my attempts to escape the Coreless; there were no Dungeon Cores within the immediate area, though I could faintly detect some further off, causing me to slump in relief. Though there were bad-things that wandered far from their Cores in search of other Dungeons, something within myself told me that it was more common for the bad-things to stay near their own Cores. It was the same compulsion that I felt, the need to ensure that the Great Core was safe.

Still, the lack of nearby Dungeon Cores did not mean the area was entirely free of enemies - especially as the bad-things who had failed to defend their own Dungeon Cores were prone to wander the World Dungeon aimlessly. It was lucky that no bad-things had attacked while I slept. I bobbed my head back and forth, examining the large, open space that I had slithered into.

Similarly to every part of the World Dungeon that I had seen - though that was very little, given my previous need to stay close to the Great Core - the cavern was lit with clusters of glow-caps. They leaned against one another, as if each looked to the others for comfort, exuding a purple glow from underneath their large mushroom heads. The light cast shadows upon the nearby walls, forming phantoms of giant mushroom forests.

Most of the glow-caps were hardly much bigger than myself - especially now, as I seemed to have grown to a small degree when I shed my former scale-flesh. However, here and there a single cluster of glow-caps had managed to gather enough of the World Dungeon’s mana to soar over their fellows, evidence of the potential that the species held. Those few clusters truly became forests compared to my small form, their stalks great trunks that blocked my path.

Even the littlest of the mushrooms were suffused with some of the mana of the World Dungeon; I knew that some bad-things would occasionally eat the glow-caps, attracted to it in the same way that I found myself attracted to mana-water. Most often, that was the last mistake that they made. The glow-caps defended themselves admirably; a single glow-cap’s death could save the entire cluster, poisoning the bad-thing that had been tempted by their glow. In a way, it felt similar to my own willingness to sacrifice myself for the Great Core.

Still, the light of the glow-caps was nothing compared to the glow of my shed scale-flesh. Where the glow-caps possessed a low, tantalizing light, my dead scale-flesh held the light of the Great Core. Even being near it was a wonderful sensation, soothing the remnant fears and nervousness from my battle with the evil Coreless.

It rested on the cavern floor, a tiny snake-shaped testament to the wonder of the Great Core. In the past, I might have been hesitant to leave it unguarded, yet that had changed. I felt an instinctive sense of surety that it would remain safe - that nothing the bad-things could do would permanently harm it.

I didn’t know where that thought came from, but I was certain that it was true.

The thought-light flashed in my mind, distracting me from the soothing glow of my dead scale-flesh.

Name: Paradox

Species: Snake, Ouroboros

Major Title: [The Snake That Eats Its Own Tail]

Minor Titles: None

Innate Traits: [Venomous II]

Blooded Traits: None

Resistances: [Piercing Resistance - Basic I] [Venom Resistance - Basic I]

Level: 0

Trait Points: 0

Core Skills: [The Endless Cycle]

Lesser Core Skills: None

Description: A nascent Ouroboros, symbol of the eternal.

I had changed. I hadn’t needed the thought-light to realize that; it was clear that the Great Core had given me its blessing. Still, the thought-light managed to teach me some things that I had not known.

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When my size had increased, however small I might still be, the potency of my venom had as well. I had the brief urge to return to the evil Coreless and exact vengeance for their blasphemy towards the Great Core, but managed to swallow it back. I still remembered the strong grip of the female Coreless despite being afflicted by my venom; its increased strength would likely not be enough.

Perhaps some day.

There was something else that the thought-light taught me, though. I was an Ouroboros - though a newly-formed one. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I was sure that it was something Great. The Great Core had a plan for me. It was a wonderful feeling, like basking my scales in the warm-light as I slept.

I wanted to know more; the thought-light flickered.

Major Title: [The Snake That Eats Its Own Tail]

Description: A snake that embodies the cycle of renewal. Heavily increased passive regeneration when biting its own tail.

I hissed in satisfaction, flicking out a tongue to taste the air. It still tasted faintly of blood, reminding me of the cuts that I had received. I twisted upon myself, giving my scale-flesh a careful examination. Deep gouges and cuts had been left behind in my frantic escape, still lightly dripping blood. Curious, I curled further upon myself, latching onto my tail with a tentative grasp.

It was wonderful.

I chewed lightly, savoring the soothing sensation. Time passed as I lost myself in the feeling. The remnants of my wounds lightly itched, in a warm and curious way, before disappearing entirely. I continued to chew. It felt nice.

I looked to the thought-light again.

Core Skill: [The Endless Cycle]

Description: The Endless Cycle.

It told me nothing else. I spit out my tail, hissing in indignation at the traitorous thought-light, before finally relaxing. I did not need to know what it did. The Great Core had blessed me with great power, and that was all that was important.

….despite that great power, I was terribly thirsty. It seemed that, in becoming one with the Great Core, things had changed. I was no longer provided food-drink by its light; there were no sacred-spots forming around us. That was a price I was willing to pay, so that I might never leave its side again - so that it could never be in danger of being taken away from me again.

Regardless, I needed to find something to drink.

With one last glance at the glowing scale-flesh, I slithered away. I would be back, I knew. I was certain of it in a way that I was certain of little else.

I looped my way around the forests of glow-caps, keeping a watchful eye on my surroundings. Though I had not yet seen any bad-things in the area, I knew that they were always lurking. This was the World Dungeon, after all.

Enemies lurked around every corner, and within every shadow.

The cavern walls were lined with scratches and gouges, the remnants of dangerous battles of varying magnitudes. Some were as small as myself, while others were great fissures that formed wall-cracks further across than many times my entire length. Cautiously, I slipped through the smallest of the tunnels and wall-cracks that I was able. I did not wish to see the giant bad-things, if they were still around.

As I traveled, I flicked out my tongue to taste the air. For a while, it tasted only of stone and old blood. Eventually, however, I found the delicious taste of mana-water.

It called to me, and I answered eagerly.

The small-tunnel that I slithered down emptied out into a new cavern. Great stone-spikes hung from the ceiling, their tips fluorescent with the mana-water that dripped down their bulks. The mana-water, glowing a bright and clear blue that created a spike of desire with me, filled a great basin that rested below.

Glow-caps dotted the edges of the pool of mana-water, larger than I had ever seen them, overflowing with the World Dungeon’s mana that had collected within the cavern. They soared high above me, mixing their purple glow with the brilliant blue of the mana-water.

Before I knew it, my mouth was in the pool of mana-water, gulping greedily.

It tasted wonderful, carrying a heady aroma that reminded me of the Great Core’s power, though heavily diluted and weak. I could feel the mana-water disappear from my stomach as I drank, shifting forms in much the same way as the Great Core had and traveling through my body. Yet, while the Great Core’s change had been accompanied by a burning fire-pain, the mana-water was simply lukewarm. Still, it seemed to be doing something.

I pulled my head from the mana-water, my thirst slaked for now. My reflection, tinged the bright blue of the mana-water, stared back at me. I could see something else protruding from my forehead, looking like a miniature version of the Great Core itself. I stared.

So did something else, dropping silently onto me from above.

A set of fangs pierced my scale-flesh.

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