Fabian

  As my wings worked overtime to carry the husk of a fairy I had become across the Fey Realm, I found myself consumed by pain and nausea. I didn't know how long I had been flying for. I wasn't even fully cognizant of the world around me. All I knew was it had happened again, and despite everything, I was still alive. Whether that was a good or a bad thing, I wasn't sure anymore.

  Some part of me recognized the landscape below transition to that of a familiar grove surrounded by hollowed-out trees alight from within. Huh, I thought to myself, I guess it's night.

  Until that moment, I hadn't consciously realized such an obvious thing. A morose chuckle slipped from my lips as I realized just how bad my mental state was.

  It never gets any easier, I guess.

  I quickly began my descent, rapidly loosing altitude. My touching down was more of an impact than a proper landing, but the minor physical pain it caused me was welcome. It, at least, somewhat distracted me from the far worse internal anguish I was experiencing.

  Stumbling to my feet, I momentarily pulled myself from my mental haze enough to start heading in the right direction. Soon, or I at least assumed it hadn't been too long, I half fell my way into one of the larger trees through the door carved into it. I heard a gasp from nearby and focused my vision until I could see a petite red-haired fairy leaning on a counter with her mouth agape.

  “Fabian, is that you?” she asked.

  I took a moment to collect myself before responding, “Yes. It … It happened again.”

  In what seemed like the next moment, I felt the receptionist's hand on my shoulder as she led me to a stool. “Wait here,” her voice rang, “I'll be right back.”

  My eyelids had to have grown heavy as exhaustion hit me because I was nearly passed out by the time she returned.

  “Fabian, I'm sorry, but you need to get up,” she whispered as she gently shook me back to alertness.

  She then led me up a flight of stairs with what seemed like no end. As we walked, she explained, “The council are in a meeting right now. Elder Solfus wants you to brief them on what happened.”

  “Mm, right.”

  Before I knew it, we were standing in front of a large and sturdy door. The woman who was lending me an arm for support knocked. Then, a voice filled with both authority and exhaustion called out from the other side, “Enter.”

  I was promptly dragged into the meeting room and sat down on a plush stool. It was only then that the reality of the situation caught up to me. In front of me was the Fairy Council, the elite group of Dungeon Fairies that made some of the most important decisions in both the Fey Realm and also the Mortal Realm. I surely would have been overcome with nerves and anxiety if I had the capacity left to feel anything.

  “Fabian Dahlia, right? Please, tell us what happened,” Elder Solfus, a man I recognized and deeply respected despite having never spoken to, commanded of me.

  “A group of five, all cloaked in black, invaded the Dungeon I was bonded to in the dead of night. They seemed to be from the unknown group. My core, he couldn't identify them, so they either had powerful abilities or artifacts.”

  “That sounds like them. Did anything about the group stand out?”

  “Their leader sounded male, but I couldn't get a good look. One of them had green skin, possibly an orc, and another had four arms. They tore through the Dungeon without breaking a sweat. Then, they used a magic item on my core. I heard his screams through our bond before it was broken. I passed out from the pain after that. They were gone along with my core by the time I woke up.”

  “The details line up with the rest of the attacks. We should assume it was them. You said their leader spoke. What did he say?”

  I paused for a moment, forcing myself to think back to those horrible moments.

  Then, I answered, “Nothing useful. He just gave basic orders to the others. Just some things like pointing out traps and telling the others to handle the last boss while he secured the core.”

  “Fabian. I need you to think hard. Was there anything else. Even if it doesn't seem important, any small detail could help.”

  “They had a caster with a plain wooden staff embedded with a crystal, and their rogue, the four-armed one, used a couple of shadow abilities.”

  “Anything else?”

  I closed my eyes, bringing myself back to that night. I could hear their leader's words echo in my head loud and clear. My eyes snapped open, and I answered, “Their leader had a slight Drulinti accent.”

  “I see.”

  I sat expectantly, waiting to either be questioned further or excused. Instead, another of the elders, a gray haired woman I didn't recognize, addressed the council, “See? These attacks are getting more frequent. We have to take more drastic action.”

  The room fell silent for a few long moments before another elder, a shorter, bulky fairy with faded red hair, spoke up, “Fine, I will agree, but I will not stand for us having another Dungeon War on our hands. If we give the order to increase defenses, it must be done carefully. Otherwise, it is likely to do more harm than good.”

  “Rodrick,” Elder Solfus began, “I fear just increasing defenses won't be enough. The number of Dungeons is nearing critical.”

  “What do you suggest then? We throw away everything we have built up over the past two millennia and start another Dungeon War? The last time that happened, it nearly spelled the end for everything. We will not survive another.”

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  “Calm yourself. I never suggested that. Yes, we must act tactfully, but we also need to insure a few Dungeons can grow strong enough to replace those we have lost before it is too late.”

  “And just how do we do that?”

  “Soul Cores,” answered the female elder who had been the one to call for action.

  At her words, the room full of important individuals fell into an uncomfortable silence that seemed to drag on. The matters of why that was and what a Soul Core was were beyond me.

  Just as the elder called Rodrick opened his mouth to break the silence, Solfus spoke up, “It could work. I second this proposal.”

  Another voice chimed in, “I object! We outlawed the creation of Soul Cores for a reason. Making them is dangerous and completely amoral.”

  “They are unruly, and their own interests interfere with their work. We can't trust them,” came another voice.

  Then, another rang out, “Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

  The room fell into a brief chaos before the elder named Rodrick bellowed, “Order!”

  After the room fell silent once again, he continued, “I am not without reservations, but the use of Soul Cores seems a worthwhile idea. Instead of squabbling, let's put it to a vote. All in favor say, 'aye'.”

  A chorus of ayes rang out.

  “Those opposed, say, 'nay'.”

  A smaller chorus of nays ensued.

  “The ayes have it. It is a flawed solution, but it is a solution no less, and more importantly, it shouldn't start another Dungeon War. Is everyone satisfied?”

  “Almost,” the woman responded again.

  “What is it Petalli?”

  “Utilizing Soul Cores should help stabilize the situation, but we still need to put some kind of plan in place for acquiring replacements for the more powerful Dungeons we've lost.”

  “And, what do you propose? Surely, you aren't going to suggest anything more extreme than using Soul Cores, are you?”

  “Of course I am.”

  “Then, spit it out, you old fossil.”

  “I suggest the use of Soul Cores.”

  “You already suggested that, and we accepted. Don't tell me your going senile.”

  “Oh, you didn't let me finish,” she said in a mischievous tone, “I suggest the use of Soul Cores with–how should I put it?–special souls.”

  “Finding appropriate souls is already a difficult task. What kind of special souls are you suggesting?”

  “Heroes.”

  The table erupted with a resounding, “What!?”

  “Have you finally lost your mind, or did you lose it along with your Dungeon Core back in the war and have just been pretending to be sane since?” Rodrick boomed.

  “Likely the latter.”

  “You …”

  “How would we even acquire the souls of Heroes, let alone cooperative Heroes?” Solfus interjected.

  “It's simple. We will summon our own.”

  The room once again fell silent. This time, that silence stretched, and it stretched long enough for me to realize I was far out of my depth. Even through the pain and brain fog, I wanted to ask if I could be dismissed. The only thing stopping me was the tension so thick it could be cut with a knife.

  “That would be an incredible waste of resources,” Rodrick stated flatly after a time.

  “Perhaps it would, but perhaps it would give us the opportunity to raise a few new Dungeons to serve as pillars to stabilize the world, pillars we desperately need.”

  “The mana cost of a single Hero summoning is immense. Any given mortal nation can only afford to perform one every few hundred years. You are proposing that we perform multiple of these summonings.”

  “What use is saving up all that mana if we are just going to leave it sitting there? Our stores have long since been at capacity, and most of what's in them has been sitting there for the past two millennia. I say we use it.”

  “Arl, how many Heroes do we have the resources to summon?” Solfus asked.

  “You can't actually be considering this,” Rodrick said with clear exasperation as he slammed his fist on the table.

  “I just want the numbers. Everything is worth considering.”

  “Uh, I don't have all the numbers to run,” the youngest council member began, “but I would estimate three or maybe four. If we modified the summoning to not include a body, since it wouldn't be needed anyway, we might have enough for five and some change?”

  “That is all of the mana we've been saving up for thousands of years you're talking about, mana we have been saving for an emergency!” yelled Rodrick.

  “Then we summon three and give them the best we have to ensure they survive,” Petalli stated before smiling and continuing, “After all, this is an emergency. That would also leave around half of our reserves. Surely, you can see how dire the situation we are in is, right?”

  “You speak of giving them the best we have. Who exactly would that be? We strive to give every Dungeon the best chance possible.”

  “Me. I would assist one.”

  “Not a chance! The last thing we need is a return to the way things were during the Dungeon War.”

  “Come now, let that anger stop clouding your judgement. I have been on this council for two thousand years. I know the importance of the changes we have enacted, and I, along with the rest of us in this room, know better than anyone how to guide a Dungeon to be strong. Besides, this is your big chance to be rid of me. You know you've wanted that since the beginning.”

  “Fine, let's say we did go along with this harebrained scheme of yours. Who else would go? You proposed three Soul Cores.”

  “I would,” came Solfus's voice.

  “Solfus? Why?”

  “Because it is important. I know you like to be cautious, but at this rate, we really could lose everything.”

  Rodrick fell quiet, and so did the rest of those present. Finally, I saw my chance.

  I forced myself to my feet and said, “I should go, right? This doesn't feel like a conversation I should be present for.”

  Elder Solfus, who I had been sitting next to, looked to me and smiled. Gently, he placed a hand on my shoulder and sat me back down. Then, he turned back to the Fairy Council.

  “Since no one else seems eager to give up the power and authority that comes with their position on the council to go raise a new Dungeon, might I suggest the third Soul Core go to this young gentleman here.”

  “What qualifications does he have?” came a feminine voice I wasn't familiar with.

  “He is one of the brightest of the new generation, and he has experience with supporting a Dungeon already. In fact, he has bonded with no less then three Dungeons that have fallen to this crisis, and from his reports, he had helped them to grow exceptionally well before disaster struck. If he were given a chance with a more capable Dungeon Core, I think he would do quite well, so unless one of you wants the position, I believe he is the best choice available.”

  “This is ridiculous,” grumbled Rodrick.

  “Shall we put all of this to a vote, then?” asked Petalli.

  They did. There were many nays, but to my addled mind's disbelief, the ayes just barely had it, and the third Soul Core was decided to go to me.