Rhamiel didn’t get it, but moved on. “Okay, what do you want? I was planning on leaving you to Mom, Dad, and Graham, and maybe introducing myself after you calmed down. I was just checking in before I got back to work on some projects.”
“Projects? Like what? A meat grinder for all these people you have fooled into believing you are benevolent? You're making a people purée to spread all over some pork loin to get all their sweet sweet EXP?”
“Uh, I don’t know what a purée is, but… I think I can assume that making it out of people is not good for them. So, no,” Rhamiel denied. He took a second to let Mom and Graham know that he was awake and somehow knew that he was checking on him. He would have told Dad, but he had already left his Domain to search for the rest of the Hero’s group.
That grin somehow grew bigger, “Oh ho ho, then what is the plan? What kind of Core are you? Oh, A Dungeon Core that is getting ready to reveal its death traps in those mines that Graham and Elgeia mentioned. Oh, oh, maybe a Creature Core with a Mimic base so that you could look like a building? Or maybe a Druid Core and you are the forest itself?”
Rhamiel did not say anything for a long moment, the man wiggling in his bonds and trying to stand. Gritting his teeth, the man managed to put a foot underneath him. He smiled in celebration before falling back onto his backside.
“Hey, I’m, uh, not a- Well, any of those Cores.”
The Hero paled and looked around in a panic. “Oh, no no no no no. Not a Deity Core, not another one, your kind are the worst. No, second worst. No, no, let me out of here!” He continued to fight against his bonds, his body struggling with the increased fervor of the terrified. He even bent down and tried to bite at his ropes, but was unable to bend enough to get at them.
“Calm down,” Rhamiel urged, unsure what to do. “I’m not a Deity Core either.”
“Then what are you, Core!” The Hero demanded.
“I’m a Civilization Core.”
The Hero blinked. “A what?”
“A Civilization Core,” Rhamiel repeated. “I build cities.”
The Hero looked confused, with wide eyes looking around as if in thought. He looked all around the Dwelling, and then he focused on the roof, his gaze intense and glaring as if it were something he loathed. “There’s no such thing.”
“Yes, there is, and I am the only Civilization Core in the World, according to the System, at least,” Rhamiel explained nonchalantly. “I am a friendly Core.”
“There’s no such thing,” The Hero repeated with a growl.
“Yes, there is. I am the Friendly Civilization Core, one who works to try and keep people safe in this, the Age of Decline.” Rhamiel said with confidence. “Or so I hear from Mom and Dad, this era of the world is called.”
“Yes, an Era of Ruin brought upon the Civilizations of the world by the Night of Gods Tears, by the arrival of hundreds of your kind coming at once. And you, Core, claim to be the only nice Core out of Hundreds of your kind? I doubt that.” The Hero scoffed. “I just need to find out what your angle is to show the others what your scheme is.”
“You’ll be looking forever,” Rhamiel told him. “I have no scheme, just plans on how to get more powerful… Hopefully.”
The Hero struggled against the ropes, “I doubt that. You’re evil beneath the facade of benevolence. All I have to do is get free from this, and then I will find the evidence to prove it to them all.”
“What if…” Rhamiel started and paused. “What if I could prove to you that I have no intention to do anything bad?”
“I doubt you could,” The Hero glared. “I kill Bosses, Monsters, AND Cores. Even if you were doing this for the good of the people, there would be no way you could prove to me that you weren’t just biding your time. Waiting for a larger population, for higher-level individuals, for specific abilities, or anything else. All Cores are evil, that is it.”
“But this one is not,” Elgeia said, walking into the Dwelling. “I can’t explain it, John, but this Core is not some malicious killing machine or alien intelligence. It saved my daughter, Joselin, when it didn't have to. In fact, it could have killed her and probably gained several levels.”
“So that's what you trust it, because it lulled you into a false sense of security by saving one person?” The Hero smiled ferally. “I did not take you for a fool.”
“One person?” Joselin said as she entered the Dwelling with her mother. Rhamiel had not noticed her arrival or knew she was coming, not that it mattered. She was here, and maybe she could help convince him. “Rhamiel did not just save me; he has worked nonstop to help keep everyone here safe.”
The Hero stared at Joselin, eyes squinting as he looked her over. “Wait, I know you.”
“Yeah,” Joselin said, nervous. “I helped my parents fight you.”
His eyes opened wide, “Yes! You are the one with the Dagger!”
Joselin nodded.
“So, the Core saved you, did it?” The Hero nodded. “I get it, you want to think the best of the thing that saved you. But did you ever think that this thing was dangerous, a force from the Era meant to help kill us all? Did it ever occur to you that-”
“No,” Joselin interrupted him. “Just stop. The Core was only a day old when I found it, and it behaved as if it were a day old. You know, other than the fact he could talk.” She smiled.
“Are you serious?” The Hero spat. “The Core’s have helped the Monsters to kill us.”
Rhamiel was gleeful for a quick second; his Architect’s Library had given him another blueprint! But he realized he had missed a part of the conversation and pushed that aside to focus on them.
“So what if the Core’s have?” The Hero said with incredulity.
“Yeah,” Joselin crossed her arms. “So what, they aren’t Rhamiel.”
The Hero stopped talking for a long moment, looking at Joselin, then to Mom, mouth open in astonishment. He looked surprised more than anything; his struggles ceased, and the color drained from his face. “You are all insane. The Core has corrupted you, even if it wasn’t done with magic, for it to convince you that it means you no harm is insane.”
“I doubt it,” Joselin said. “I mean, I feel like we would know if we were crazy. Wouldn’t we, Mom?”
She shrugged, “I don’t think so, sweetie.”
“Oh,” she said with surprise. Then, she immediately mimicked her mother’s shrug. “I still doubt it, I feel like more things would make sense if we were crazy.”
“Maybe,” Mom nodded.
The Hero said nothing else, glaring at Joselin with a harsh look. While Rhamiel wasn’t an expert on humanoid expressions, it didn't appear to be hate or anger. It looked like the kind of look that Dad gave Joselin when he arrived here, condemnation maybe. Either way, the man said nothing else for long enough that Rhamiel withdrew his consciousness from the Dwelling to focus on something else. Like his newest Building!
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
The original Building was part of a complex of Alchemical Labs meant to create the most complex potions in ideal conditions and refine older recipes into better, more cost-effective forms. This Building's most tremendous success is also its greatest shame: the City Boss's "The Lattice Spider" was born from an accidental exposure within this structure.
This Specialized Alchemy Lab grants bonuses once the structure is completed. Increases Alchemy Proficiency, Improved Emotional Brew creations, Improved Perception Brew creations, Eureka Crafting (Emotion and Perception Essences).
Specialized Features: Echojar Lungs. Emotion Lattice Array. Perception Codex Shelves. The Mirror of Refrain. Complex Connections.>
“Okay, this is neat,” Rhamiel said to no one. “I don't know how useful this is, but it is a higher-tier alchemy Lab. Maybe Yule will be able to tell me…” The Core took a moment to look for the Alchemist and was surprised to find him secluded somewhere, working on his project. The young Alchemist isn’t a fighter, so he was likely out gathering for the settlement. “I guess I’ll tell Yule later today,” Rhamiel decided.
Switching gears, Rhamiel moved on to the next item on his agenda, a project that should yield tangible results.
One of which intersected with the Hero’s comment from before. That he was not the Core the Hero was after.
He figured he had one good way to find that out in a more reasonable amount of time than sending people out looking.
And even better, it aligned with one of his primary objectives.
Expanding his Domain was one of the first things he learned how to do, even when he was just a little basic Spirit core. The concept was simple: push Mana into the boundary of your Domain, and use his Mana to make it just a little bit bigger. It was such a simple enough concept that he had been multitasking the expansion of his Domain for the past few weeks.
However, to level up his skill, Rhamiel assumed that he would need to understand the mechanics more thoroughly and apply them effectively. Or he could let it grow passively, and that would still increase the skill. It had already happened once so far.
But to begin this process, he looked up his Domain Skill.
As your Domain is filled with Mana, your Mana, this makes it easier to differentiate between the various people with Mana within your Domain. Specifically, you can sense enemies, allies, and animals within your Domain more easily. If a Stealth ability is active upon an individual within your Domain, you may not be able to sense them. Unless your combined Domain Skill Level and Core Presence Attribute are higher than their ability, you may sense them.>
While the skill was a bit wordy, the Core was able to understand many things now that he was really thinking about it. While he understood the general concept of his Domain, he felt like he was underutilizing it. Or, at least, not growing it effectively.
Primarily, the line about his core presence attribute being useful to the Domain skill in detecting hidden foes. It was likely that this also applied to the growth rate of his Domain. But Rhamiel understood the system better now than when he first started multitasking his domain growth. And honestly, he was ready to do something awesome.
With a little effort, Rhamiel formed a tendril of Mana from his Core and sent it out towards the top of his Domain directly above him.
To his senses, the ceiling of his Domain resisted the touch of his Mana, it took an actual effort of Will to ease the Mana into the border. It was a slog for a moment to input the Mana into the Domain to expand it, much like it was in the beginning when he first created his Domain. But the more effort he put in, the easier it got.
Soon, he learned that he didn’t need to force the Mana into the Domain to expand it. After a while of trying to find a better way, he discovered that he could somewhat control his Domain, and not just grow it. With this revelation, he had to control both the Mana going into his Domain and manipulate it to allow the Mana to enter the membrane of his Domain and expand it. It only took a few more minutes of this process for Ramiel to get the hang of it and begin pushing in the Mana faster.
Minutes passed, and Rhamiel could feel the Domain expanding like a bubble and the Mana requirements increasing the larger it got. Moving it through the soil and rock took more effort, but it continued to grow further out. New landmarks entered his awareness: a new clearing with a moss-covered statue, and a new hole that led deeper into the ground with new caverns connecting to the current ones. Worse yet, Rhamiel could see dozens of Monsters within his Domain, all seemingly wandering around and snarling at any monsters who got close.
It was fascinating and terrifying how many horrific creatures were this close to his Domain and the settlement, but he just kept pushing along. Beginning to feel pressure build in his Crystal, something that unsettled the Core, as it usually did not feel anything from its physical form. That pressure built up until it hit something more solid, infinitely more so, and with something that felt like malicious Will.
“Ah ha!” Rhamiel cheered, stopping his Domain’s expansion, and immediately received another prompt.
This greater control over the membrane of your Domain makes it possible to resist the entrance of certain entities into your Domain, effectively making it an invisible wall to bar access.>
“Oh, well, that’s nice,” Rhamiel said with a bit of cheer in his voice.
“What is going on, Rhamiel?” Joselin asked his Core Crystal.
Confused, the Core turned his attention to the young Elf and looked at the concerned look on her face. “What do you mean? How do you know something happened?”
“The Hero just went berserk. Screaming in panic, cursing, bleeding from his wrists from the ropes. He was shouting something about all the monsters nearby learning about this place and another Core nearby. Do you know what he means?” Joselin questioned again.
Rhamiel thought about how to respond and apparently took a little too long.
She raised an eyebrow as she looked at the Core Generator. “What happened?”
“Oh, not much,” the Core said with a forced casualness. “I worked on my Domain Skill and spread my Domain further. That’s all.”
“That… that shouldn’t be creating much of a problem,” Joselin mused. “How much bigger did your Domain get?”
Taking a moment to check his Character Sheet, Rhamiel said, “It went from 11088 feet to 16721 feet across.”
“Wow, that's a difference,” Joselin nodded in appreciation. “I mean, that does not sound like something that would cause a problem.”
“Well…” Rhamiel started. “I also got a prompt telling me that my Domain touched another Spirit Core’s Domain.”
“Oh,” Joselin said, processing. Then a moment later, her teeth ground together. “Oh for Wisdom’s Sake! We can’t seem to get a break!”
“What is happening? Mom said, hurrying over to Joselin. “Did Rhamiel tell you?”
“Yes, Another Core is close.”
Mom looked a little worried for a moment, “Any idea what kind?”
“No,” Rhamiel answered. “The prompt just said a Spirit Core.”
Mom shook her head, “Great, just fantastic. This is probably the Core that John was saying that he was originally after.”
“Maybe, but that doesn’t matter,” Joselin said with a fierceness that took Rhamiel by surprise. “We need to stop this, Core. If Rhamiel felt it, it probably felt him too.”
“Don’t worry,” Mom said as she walked up to Joselin and put her hands on her daughter’s shoulders. “It’ll be fine. We just need to wait until your father comes back and he’ll-”
“We can’t just wait!” Joselin argued, taking a step away from Mom. “If we wait, things could only get worse. What if it’s a Creature Core and can come in here? We need to get Bernard and Morris and get ready.”
“For what?” Mom asked. “I can fight, but I am not some Boss Hunter. Graham will not want to go out there and fight something, not wanting to immediately kill him. He quit a long time ago. And without a higher-level person ready to help… There is not much we can do to kill an established Core.”
Joselin’s lip curled in frustration, “Then what in the name of Madness can we do?!”
“Be patient,” Mom insisted. “Wait until your Father comes back, and then we will decide what the best course of action is.”
A scream echoed from above. Looking up, Joselin saw a massive gold and black bird flying above them, flapping its wings to stay in one place. A long and thick beak with serrated edges aimed at Joselin, with legs ending in razor-sharp black talons. It was a simple-looking beast for the terror it instilled in Joselin and Mom.
It screamed again, flapping again to move into a dive, and stretched out its talons towards the two. Mom began casting a spell, lightning arcing across both her arms and flaring wildly, but the bird seemed faster.
Joselin flinched and raised her arms to defend her head as the creature moved to avoid the Core Generator to get her and extended its claws.
“Fractal Shear!” Rhamiel announced.
In a moment that seemed to drag on for an eternity, Rhamiel felt the Eldritch Cathedral’s reserve of Divine Mana of Order form the spell. What Rhamiel observed both fascinated and terrified him in equal measure, a reality splitting apart where the Core aimed the spell. An infinite black seemed to fill the space where normal reality was for a long moment; this cut past normal reality, revealing nothing beyond it.
Then, the nothing filled with normal reality, leaving the Bird Monster crashing to the ground in the opposite direction of Mom and Joselin. The Core observed its work and found out what the ‘Fractal Trauma’ debuff looked like in real life.
The bird was now missing a wing and was screeching in pain as it tried to balance itself. The wounds on the monster leaked from wounds that did not look like wounds, a thin coat of flesh helped the wound to not look freshly cut and kept the sliced veins open.
It was as disturbing as he thought, and as Mom tried to get up and attack, the monster bird fell limply to earth.
“Great,” Rhamiel groaned. “Another restriction.”
“What was that?!” Joselin.
“A Giant Voracious Corvid,” Rhamiel grumbled as he sensed more of these creatures moving within his Domain. No, not just these bird monsters, many more approached from all sides, not just from the sky, where a small flock of these beasts appeared.
“What happened?!” Joselin shouted, trying to get his attention.
“I expanded my Domain too far and too quick,” Rhamiel said with a bit of dread. Creatures of all descriptions were turning their attention towards the settlement. “ I-I think I made a huge mistake.”