Both the mantis defender and I carefully make our way down the winding tunnel. It turns out the right side goes a lot further than that of the left. Sadly we haven't come across any more of that crystallised mana. Instead, it has been endless bare walls. We reach a bend in the tunnel.

I peer around the corner and see something large in the distance. It takes a moment but I realise what it is. A glowing mantis is huddled in the middle of the tunnel. Luckily it hasn’t noticed us yet as it's facing the other way.

I'm conflicted. I'm stronger now and feel like I should be able to take it on but… There's no abyss net to catch me if I fall, if it doesn't go according to plan it there is nothing to stop it from getting to my heart. Carefully, I pull myself away from the wall and back around the corner. What I didn't take into account was my new flower defender. It hit my back as I retreated and hear stones slam together as it flies into the wall. Oh, mists be damned. I watch as the mantis quickly puts its legs under it and make its way over to our location.

“Oberon we are engaging a mantis, make preparations if I fail.”

I grip my sickle tightly while getting into position. Mentally I tell the mantis defender to do the same by the other wall of the tunnel. The flower defender, I leave to do its own thing.

The glow mantis, now having seen the light of our cores picks up its pace. As it gets closer I feel my confidence dropping, this one is larger than the last. Bits of stone come loose and fly outwards as its legs slam into the floor. It reaches us, lifts its scythe arms up and swings them down. I throw myself to the side and watch as the arm glides past me and hit the floor, shattering the stone I was floating above. In return, I use my momentum to swing my sickle towards its abdomen.

the mantis dodges backwards and my attack misses. It wasn’t in vain though, I see the sickle of the mantis defender slice into the mantis’ leg as it moves back. The creature hesitates after that but we won't give it time to go back on the offensive. Both the defender and I coordinate our next attack and aim for opposite flanks at the same time. The defender misses and in return is thrown into the wall by the back of the mantis' arm. I manage to succeed and slice into its front leg on the right.

the mantis defender struggles to get back up after being thrown and tries to use the wall to pull itself back up. I look up in time to see the mantis already swinging its arms from above at my location. I retreat backwards and feel it as one of the blade arms slices down and scores the stone that protects my chest. thankfully, not deep enough to hit my core. teaches me for being distracted. The mantis continues its assault pushing forward and leaving me no choice but to keep moving backwards. It goes for another swing and I try to dodge backwards again only to hit the wall behind me. I bring my sickle up and pray to the mists that it will protect me from some of the damage and not break. the hit never comes. I look up to see my flower defender pull itself out of the mess that was once one of the mantis' eyes. the fluids and pulp covering its petals for a moment before they spin at high speed and deposit it over the nearby area. 

the mantis defender is finally back into action and swings its sickle at the currently occupied creature. the attack lands, scoring a direct hit on its back. the sickle gets stuck. the mantis recoils in pain and I watch as it uses its arm to pin the defender against the wall. I swoop towards the mantis and swing my sickle at its body, scoring another hit and then another. the mantis ignores my strikes. Instead, it leans over the pinned defender and uses its mandibles to bite a chunk out of its body and by extension, its core. I feel it as my connection to the defender is abruptly cut off and the stone and chitin it is made of crumbles to the floor. the mantis' good eye then narrows in on me. with the mantis defender no longer distracting it I retreat backwards and the mantis defender once again starts its assault. this time however it's much slower. The damage it has accumulated on its back is obviously having an effect.

I use the gap in between 2 of its strikes to make my move and dart to the side. I swing my sickle at another leg hoping the less mobile I make it the easier it will be to finish it off. The creature parries my attempt with ease with an arm before initiating its own attack with the other. I turn off my ability to float and drop to the floor as the arm slices through the air above me. Turning my ability to float on again, I get my sickle and slam it towards its mandibles. instead, I skim the side of its face, opening a gash from its neck to remnants of its eye. I start to move back again only for pain to course through my body. I look down to find the sharp point of one of the mantises arms peaking through the top layers of stone where my core is. the pain is excruciating and I watch as the mantis leans in for the finishing blow. the glow of a core appears from behind its head and I watch as my flower defender manages to slip into its blind spots and ram itself into the large gash on its face. the mantis removes its arm blade from my core but it's too late. the flower defender blooms while gouged into its face and I see it as the face is ripped in two. the mantis then slumps over and I do the same. the flower defender comes back to float around me as if nothing happened and I feel Oberon's concern hammering through our bond as my vision retreats inwards to nothing.

I wake up in my soul realm with Oberons glowing silhouette watching down over me. I clutch at my chest, the pain from having been speared through is still there. I'm alive? wait no Oberon did say I would revive. Then I remember about the countdown to my impeding room with the swarm.

“How long was I out?!”

“Calm down Elysia, it has only been 10 minutes at most. But that does not mean we do not have an issue.”

“What do you mean I'm back it's all fine”

“What do you mean its fine! Elysia, you are the heart of the dungeon.”

“But I revive don't I?”

“Yes you do but not without a price.” He points at my core and I don't understand what he's getting at. My heart looks fine, great even, as I feel the fullness and see the glow of bright rings of blue. I'm able to rank up again. As if understanding what I'm thinking Oberon draws closer to my heart and points at the bottom edge of my heart. I get up and walk closer and as I do, that's when I see what he's talking about. The bottom looks worn and small hairline cracks reach up from the bottom, tainting its previously pristine surface.

“That's not all Elysia, you are now stuck in here for at least a couple of hours as the mana that you replenish naturally is being siphoned away to rebuild your core. A process that cannot be rushed.”

“You told me that if you die you revive too, does that also cause damage to my core?”

"No… it does not."

"How come it does for me. then that doesn't make sense”

I do not know Elysia, I am not all-knowing and this is not important right now.”

"But you are meant to be my guide”

“That does not mean I have all the answers or that I'm infallible! I can only go off… what I know.”

"..." Oberon is not telling me something. the knowledge he gives me feels way too patchy for someone that's meant to be able to guide me through the process of being a dungeon heart. why is that? I want to ask him but I don't think he will tell me, not right now. Instead, I decide to focus on the now. I was too careless. we have a swarm about to get through and after my last run-in with a mantis within a tunnel system, I should have known better. I should have used a small defender as a scout before going myself. especially considering I'm the only one who can make new defenders. now I'm stuck here and cannot create more defenders. there's also my overconfidence... thinking I could take on a mantis now that I'm a higher rank. if it wasn't for the flower and mantis defender I would have died without laying even a scratch on the creature. there is not much I can do now other than rank up and wait out the time I am stuck here.

"Well… seems that I'm stuck here for a while I will use the time to rank up. I'm... Sorry I didn't take it too seriously.”

“Just treat yourself with more care, I know you are still desperate to get to the surface but killing yourself to do it is not going to help you meet your goal. I will continue creating the entrances along the tunnel… May the maker favour your Rank up.”

“Thanks, Oberon.”

And with that Oberon left the space. I look at the damage my heart has sustained one last time before settling down in front of my core to starting the ranking up process.

Evershadows

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