Chapter 85

AN: Edited!
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Outside the Scorpan King's Palace, The Canyon, The Ninth Floor

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"Thanks for the ride!" Wave called out as the vultures flew away, cawing their farewell. That'd been exhilarating! The wind running over his scales felt even better in the air than it ever had surfing the ocean! He turned to find that Aston seemed unsteady on his feet, and Towers had laid down on the sand as soon as they'd landed. "What's wrong with you two?"

"I... don't think flying is my thing," Aston said, taking a few steps. "If The Creator meant for the minotaur to fly, he'd have given us wings," he declared, voice wavering ever so slightly. Towers nodded, agreeing with their party member as he raised himself onto his legs again.

"I agree," the monster stated emphatically. "Scorpans were meant to wander the deserts by foot, not in a vulture's claws! I felt helpless. Like I was going to be dropped to my death." Wave frowned, not liking what that implied.

"You know the vultures wouldn't do that," he reassured Towers. "They were obviously sent by the Scorpan King, and we're fellow Children of The Creator besides." The huge scorpan shook his head at Wave's words.

"The Sunlions of the canyon are very territorial, and young males are ejected from their pride when they reach maturity," Towers explained. "There's only so much room, and they're often pushed to attack the village. Do the Fish not slaughter each other by the hundreds? Or the Ratten?" Wave could only nod at the Scorpan, bringing a claw to his chin in thought.

"Yes... But that is when no invaders are on the floor," Wave reasoned. "When there are, the Children unite against those trespassing in our home. Yes, we'd just killed Hallmark, but they looked like they'd been sent a while before we killed him." Towers had no rebuttal and nodded, sinking into thought.

They collected themselves, cleaning blood off already-healing wounds and binding them to keep the sand out. When they felt they were presentable, they approached the palace carved into the side of the cavern. It was just as impressive as before; arching windows, well-decorated walls, and perfectly carved columns. Something Wave had only seen before in things carved by The Creator Himself.

They walked in silence, and Wave remembered the aftermath of the fight. The human had almost nothing left. No potions, wielding broken and worn equipment. The only thing of value he had on him was a pouch filled with strange items, each one enchanted by the writing and feel of mana on them. Wave felt strange, carving the human's chest open to reach his core, doing something to him that the human had done to hundreds of Children. Then, when he saw it, he could only feel shock.

It was.. warped. Like other human cores, it was an elongated oval, where the ends pointed into dull tips. But this one... It held a long crack running down its entire length, from tip to tip. In the middle, this crack widened to a chasm, and wild, uncontrolled, unchecked growth spilled from that crack. It was like the crystal had tried to grow back together, to fill the crack, but something caused it to fail catastrophically. Wave was surprised Hallmark had survived this long if this was what his core was like.

As they passed through the palace's entrance, he let his wandering attention focus on the mostly-empty room.

The king wasn't holding court this time, not that Wave expected him to be. He had no doubt the Scorpans were ensconced in the cavern hidden behind their village. The entire Scorpan Royal Guard were on duty, standing at attention before their king. As the monster party approached, the guards parted to allow them through, and they approached the king on his throne once again.

"Ah. Wave, Aston Asterionson, Towers-Over-Others. I'm glad to see you here alive. When the human entered the canyon, I asked Dreams-Of-Flight to watch for you with his bonded Stymphalian Vulture. I'm thankful now that I did, even though it seems you've dealt with the problem on your own."

"You are most kind, King Strikes-The-Air," Wave answered politely as Towers lowered his humanoid and scorpoid halves, bowing to his king. Aston and Wave remained standing, as they had before. Strikes-The-Air wasn't their king. "Though ultimately unnecessary, we are equally thankful for your foresight. It has accelerated our progress significantly. I apologize for my abruptness, but I must move on quickly. The sooner I bring the core to The Creator, the better." The Scorpan King nodded magnanimously and waved his left hand through the air, his left pincer following the movement unconsciously.

"There is nothing to apologize for. Be on your way, Wave. Our fates rest in your claws." Wave nodded to the king and turned to Towers. The Scorpan shrugged the pack from his back without a word and handed it over carefully. Aston helped Wave pull it on, and the smaller monster sagged with a quick gasp, surprised at how heavy it was.

Towers had acted like it weighed nothing! Then again, he was larger and stronger than Wave's comparatively smaller body.

When Aston and Wave started walking to the exit, something felt off. Wave stopped and turned to find Towers hadn't moved. Right. Towers had been ordered to come with him by the Scorpan King. Now that he was back at the palace, his duty was done. "You coming with us or not?" Wave asked the Scorpan anyway. "The Quest isn't over yet."

Towers-Over-Others looked conflicted and glanced at his king. Strikes-The-Air waved a humanoid arm in the two monster's direction with a smile. Towers scuttled over to join them without hesitation. The three left together, passing through the Shrine and out to the Tenth. Behind them, Wave heard King Strikes-The-Air order some of his guards to lift the lockdown and something about a celebration.

He put it out of his mind as darkness descended over the forest-ringed clearing that was the Tenth. They turned onto the path that led to the village, edged by burnt and charred grasses left behind by the Fire Court's procession. He had a surfboard to collect.

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The Minotaur Village, The Tenth Floor, The Dungeon

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Taura hadn't been sleeping very well the last few days. Knowing her big brother and Wave were out there, putting themselves in danger... As much as she knew how strong Aston was and how powerful a mage Wave was, she knew neither had been in actual combat. Well, perhaps Wave had been a hunter on the Third for a time, but Taura didn't know If he'd fought anyone.

When the call arose that evening of someone approaching the gate, her first instinct was fear that it was the human. The guilder must have killed her friend and her brother and had come for them as well! The next call had her almost collapsing in relief. It wasn't a lone figure, but a Minotaur, Scorpan, and Drake-kin. There was only one minotaur that was out of the village. Taura didn't know why a Scorpan was with them, but she didn't particularly care at that moment. She quickly rushed to the far wall of her bedroom, where she kept Wave's 'surfboard.'

She picked it up from where it was leaning, just the same as when Wave gave it to her and rushed from the house. She was careful that it didn't hit any walls or doorways, and by the time she reached the gate, it was already open. A crowd of Minotaurs crowded around, and she could see the Scorpan towering over the crowd. She felt her eyes go wide as she realized how big they were!

Minotaur bulls were big, but this Scorpan was at least a foot taller than the next-largest minotaur! Their orange-carapaced tail hung and shifted languidly at another two feet higher than their head.

As Taura approached, a few Minotaurs at the crowd's edge noticed. They quickly made some space, opening a hole in the group for her to pass through. She gave them a kind smile as she passed, mouthing a silent thanks.

Seeing Wave and her brother standing there, grinning and flushing from the attention and praise, Taura felt the remains of the ball of tension in her chest relax. They were safe. They noticed her quickly, Wave's eyes alighting on his 'surfboard' first, then resting on her. She felt blood rush to her cheeks at his gaze and was eternally thankful that her fur hid her skin at that moment.

"You're back!" Taura exclaimed, holding the board in front of her. She straightened her arms abruptly, holding the board directly between them. "I kept it safe for you! It didn't get a scratch!" She felt like she'd die of embarrassment when he chuckled. He took the board, and she smiled shyly at him. She opened her mouth to speak but could only make a strangled noise when her brother stood forward and picked her up in a crushing hug.

"Taura! You'll never guess what we did!" her dense idiot of a brother exclaimed. Taura, while intrigued, was far more annoyed than anything else.

"Put me down, you oaf!" Taura protested, emphasizing her words with a short punch to his stomach. It didn't do much but make him wince slightly, but he got the hint.

"Geeze, sis. You weren't this feisty when I left," Aston commented dryly, putting Taura down. She harrumphed, turning away from him. "Did you want to hear what happened?" Taura sighed, then turned back to look at her brother, brow raised.

"On the way back here, on the Ninth, we ran into the human," Aston began. Taura's eyes went wide, and she scanned the three of them again while her brother continued. "After a long battle, Towers and I wore him down. It ended with Wave taking advantage of his exhaustion and distraction, striking the final blow!" Wave waved his hands before his face as the Minotaurs around them began cheering.

"That's not- I mean, I did kill him, but-!" The crowd rushed forward, picking Wave up and hefting him on their shoulders. "Woah! Hey! Watch the board!"

Taura was left blinking as the crowd carried Wave deeper into the village. Already, she could see some particular Minotaurs splitting off from the crown, no doubt going to retrieve drinks and food for the growing party. She could only sigh and turn to the two Children remaining. Aston watched the disappearing crowd with a shit-eating grin, and the towering Scorpan seemed amused.

"Yeah, that's about what I expected. right Towers?" Aston claimed, and the Scorpan- Towers, nodded knowingly with crossed arms.

"Indeed. Well, we have time, and we've done something many thought impossible. At least one night of revelry seems appropriate."

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The Ocean, The Eleventh Floor, The Dungeon

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As the mid-morning sun glinted on the ocean, Wave waved to Taura, Aston, and Towers with a smile as they receded into the distance. Wave stood steady on his board, water mana generating a wave behind him at full speed. The large core in the pack on his back weighed heavily on his mind as his gaze locked on the pillar of light, steadily growing brighter in the distance.

He fought to keep his pulse down at the feeling of the mana content in the air growing. The last time he'd been to the Core Island, he hadn't felt this much mana until he was on the island itself. He was still at least two miles away. Wave had the feeling... he probably wouldn't be coming away from this quest the same as he was now.

To distract himself, he thought of the previous night. As unexpected as the impromptu party/festival had been, he had to admit... he enjoyed it. A night to relax and celebrate the fact he was still alive. Hallmark had torn a bloody path through the dungeon, slaughtered hundreds of monsters, and proved himself the most potent guilder to ever delve into The Creator's dungeon.

He felt vaguely bad they'd taken advantage of the human's exhaustion and injuries to beat him. Wave had no doubt that if they'd fought the guilder at the height of his power, they would be bloody stains in the sand. Aaand this wasn't helping.

He took another deep breath.

Wave wished he had a bigger board, or a boat of some kind, so he could take Aston and Towers with him. Then again, perhaps not. Wave was already familiar with his body changing. He'd changed species three times already, and no doubt another change awaited him here. If enough mana was around the island to provoke such a striking pillar of light, Wave was sure his body would be flooded with enough mana to warp him in ways he couldn't imagine.

But... he wasn't that afraid. Wave believed that The Creator would guide his transformation as soon as He could. The only worry he had was how much he would change. But as he came closer and closer, and the mana content in the air only grew stronger... he could feel the power in his body grow.

By the time Wave reached the shore, his body was almost at its limit. He was practically overflowing with energy. He could do little more than stumble, abandoning his surfboard on the stony beach. Each step he took up the staircase brought a new wave of pressure from within him.

He could feel the mana within him changing him. It took all his willpower to keep the changes... below the surface.

At the top of the staircase, he found Paragon. The Metal Spirit looked relieved to see him.

You brought the core? Good. There is little time left. Quickly; press that monster core against the Dungeon Core. The manabeing spoke to him. Wave nodded and pulled the core from his pack, cradling the huge crystal in both arms. He twitched as he felt his legs abruptly lengthen by about a foot when he lost focus.

With every step closer to the Core, it was harder to keep his shape. Crossing the open area before the core was a blur. He didn't remember much if he was honest.

But... He made it. He reached up with his fifth arm and pressed the monster core, suddenly not as large as it'd once been in his claws, against The Core.

As it all faded to black, he felt The Creator's presence suddenly bloom in his mind.

FINALLY. GET IN THERE, YOU LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT.

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