It was the sudden absence of cold that got to , even in my near-senseless state. A change from the horrible, consuming chill that had invaded my body, one that was just barely held back by occasional surges of warmth - the touch of life essence against flesh, its golden radiance like a fla to beat back the cold. Each surge threatened to pull back to alertness, the strength of the life essence that contained it enough to pull my head above the waters of my dreamless sleep - but only for a mont, as the bitter cold of death always returned, pulling back under.
Trying to drown .
Occasionally, I would notice other things in the brief instances where I was more alert; sounds, ones that told the battle with the Lesser Core was still ongoing. Screams, ones that told that it wasnt going well. A wave of [worry] here, a morass of [misery] there. The occasional conflicting piece, a relentless [resolve] or undaunted [determination] from one of my Coreless, enough to give a small asure of hope - or as much as I could really feel, with my thoughts so muddled. The interruptions from the world outside were few and far between, most of my ti spent lost in the bitter chill of death that tried to consu . It was lucky that my mouth was so firmly latched onto my tail, even in my weakness; that, combined with the now near-automatic transfer of mana into the life essence that I needed, was all that kept alive as my body and mind froze over.
Until, suddenly, the chill of death wasnt there anymore - and I woke up.
It wasnt sothing that happened instantly. The chill might have retreated, but its effects had remained.
For a little while, at least.
And then the last drop of gold that I needed ford, rousing from my slumber. The world ca back; bright and loud, paired with an overwhelming torrent of [relief] from the [Little Guardians Totem]s of my Coreless, overjoyed at my return to consciousness.
Oh thank the Skies, shes still breathing. Shes still with us, not-Needle praised in a series of senseless jabbers, almost choking and sputtering with the need to get the noises to spill free. Her [joy] was easy to see, even if it was in the confusing manner of the Coreless; little drops of salty fluid dribbled down her cheeks, falling onto upturned lips. Similar to [sadness], but ever-so-slightly different. Not for the first ti, I thanked the Great Core for its gift of the [Little Guardians Totem]s; without them, I would have had a far more difficult ti understanding its growing number of disciples.
As my body returned to normal, a powerful scent-taste pressed against my tongue. I twined around Needles shoulder, coils stretching down the distance between myself and the scent-tastes source.
And then it was gone. Swallowed. Defeated. Just another Lesser Core that had fallen before the Great Cores might. As it should be.
Though a part of wished that I could have sohow made the experience more painful. The Lesser Core had wrested away from the Great Cores light, forced to murder one of its disciples; the punishnt for that sort of blasphemy should have been higher, sothing terrible enough that it would resonate through the World Dungeon and warn any would-be blasphers of the consequences of their actions.
Sadly, it wasnt to be; the Core died in near silence, its death marked only by the sudden agitation of its remaining bad-things. aty thwacks and skittering claws resounded through the cavern as the bad-things threw themselves about, breaking into a confused frenzy that did more damage to themselves than anything else. My Coreless had taken us far enough away that there was little they could do for the mont.
At the sa ti, the thought-light flickered, announcing the Great Cores victory.
Dungeon Core (Aspect: Death) Integrated.
Core Skill Created: [Transient Reanimation].
I knew what was going to happen next; I also knew that I wanted to know sothing before then. With a call to the thought-light and a flicker of light, the answer to my question appeared, lasting for only a brief second before the thought-light flickered again.
Core Skill: [Transient Reanimation].
Description: Temporary Life, Bought By Death.
Condition t.
Core Skill - [The Endless Cycle] Renewed.
Beginning New Cycle.
My scale-flesh itched. Tightened, clinging to my form in an inescapable grip. The world went black.
And then, just like every ti it had happened before, I pulled free of glowing scale-flesh. It was harder than before; I was still weak. The strands of dead scale-flesh tore away slowly, my weakened wriggles only breaking through with extre difficulty. A clamor of sound appeared from the world outside, a growing string of clashing ore-flesh and claws and teeth and shrieks.
I ripped free, fangs weakly bared.
I found a battlefield of ruined bad-things, only the dregs still remaining, my Coreless standing triumphantly over them - all except for The Grateful One, who stared down at one of her arms with a hint of [trepidation] flowing through her [Little Guardians Totem]. Dust and ash drifted down from the seams in her ore-flesh, falling in a constant stream.
There was more of it than Id have thought possible, enough to form a growing pile of the stuff beneath her limply-hanging limb. I gave it a brief glance before moving on. So of the bad-things were still living. Not-living?
Either way, they were still twitching, and I wasnt far from my next upgrade. Warning the other Coreless back with a burst of [Illusion Spark]s light, I slowly wound my way through the battered corpse-things, biting down each ti I found one still moving. It took a while; most of the corpse-things were dead. Without the Lesser Core to bring them back, my Coreless had quickly turned them into piles of mulched and battered flesh.
There were enough, however, that I was able to get what I wanted. Eventually.
And this ti, I wouldnt be forced to pick an option that revolted .
Experience Gained! Reduced Due To Assistance Received.
Level Up!
1 Trait Point Gained.
Experience Gained! Reduced Due To Assistance Received.
Level Up!
1 Trait Point Gained.
Level 70 Reached
Analyzing Potential Reward Choices
Only One May Be Selected.
I slumped back, exhausted, and waited for the thought-light to wash over . Not-Needles hand quickly found , plucking from the ground and placing against her ore-flesh-covered shoulder. There was just enough ti to let out a hiss of gratitude before the thought-light flickered again.
There were a few things that interested . So I had seen and tried before, like [The Golems Echo]. Others were new, or had simply gone ignored in my previous false-life. I pored over them, needing the reminder in my exhausted state. It was still hard to think.
Size: Your body mass increases greatly, with all of the increase in strength and health that cos with a greater size. (Provided by: Snake)
Hardened Scales: Your scales harden, strengthening far beyond their natural asure, becoming an armor that protects you in your every mont. (Provided by: Snake, [Piercing Resistance])
Enhanced Venom Capacity: Your venom production increases greatly, both innate and acquired. (Provided by: Snake, [Venomous], [Paralyzing Venom])
Illusory Camouflage: Your scales are not what they seem, automatically pulling from your light reservoirs and shifting to match any surrounding colors. (Provided by: Snake, [Illusion Spark])
Warm-Blooded: You have been Touched By Fire, and that has marked you as sothing new. You break free from the restrictions and perils of your cold-blooded nature, receiving great resistance to heat. (Provided by: Snake, [Touched By Fire])
Vibration Sense: You have beco attuned to the vibrations of the world, allowing you to detect sound with far greater precision. (Provided by: Snake, [Sound Shaping])
Sticky Scales: Your scales beco unnaturally adhesive, able to bind wounds closed with increased speed, reducing rate of blood loss. (Provided by: Snake, [Clinging Grasp])
Scales of Devotion: The scales shift as your devotion is altered further; provides powerful protection from the ntal control of any being not connected to your Chains, while greatly increasing the ntal and physical effects of [Chains of the Creator]. (Provided by: Snake, [Chains of the Creator])
Blood Serpent: Your blood is potent, but it can beco more so. Drinking the blood of others will temporarily increase the potency of your own. (Provided by: Snake, [Poisonous Blood], [Anticoagulant])
Deadly Constrictor: Your scales sharpen, growing small spines to help rend the flesh of enemies trapped within your coils. (Provided by: Snake, [Constriction])
Sporesnake: Your spores are naturally attuned to enhance your own body. Self-puppeteering provides additional increases to strength. (Provided by: Snake, [Spore Puppeteer])
Serpents Scent: You have always been an ambush predator and, in many ways, still are. Wipe away the Ascended scent that clings to you, hiding your presence from other possessors of [Ascended Sense]. (Provided by: Snake, [Ascended Sense])
Infrasight: Your visual sense grows yet again, allowing you to visually detect the heat given off by your prey. (Provided by: Snake, [Ambushers Vision])
Shocking Venom: Your venom sparks with power, causing inflicted body parts to grow increasingly numb and weakened. (Provided by: Snake, [Sting], [Paralyzing Venom])
Sliding Grasp: Your scales are a thing of contradiction, sleek and smooth enough to cut through water, yet still able to temporarily cling to any surface. You learn to push this further contradiction in another direction, allowing for brief monts during which your smooth scales refuse to cling to any surface at all. (Provided by: Snake, [Clinging Grasp], [Streamlined Scales])
Venomshot: Your lungs have grown powerful, allowing you to spit needles of venom, inflicting their effects from a distance. (Provided by: Snake, [Enhanced Lungs], [Venomous], [Paralyzing Venom])
After I glanced over my options, the thought-light flickered again.
Revealing Possible Rewards Unlocked Through Species: Ouroboros And Its Interactions
The first few were familiar, even if they werent any less important for it. Most of the upgrade options that were related to my Core skills were useful, unlike the ones that ca from my Blooded Traits. Though there werent very many, since I had already picked [Life], [Death], and [Traveler]. They passed by in a flicker of thought-light, only remaining long enough to remind of their continued existence.
Rebirth: You are a symbol of the eternal, just as you are of many other things. You are a symbol of rebirth. You shed your skin, marking the birth of a new cycle. (Provided by: Ouroboros, [The Endless Cycle])
Bloomhaste: You are intrinsically linked to Ti itself, and have learned to direct its streams between plants that host them. You gain the passive ability to alter the streams of ti further, tripling the rate of growth for plants in your vicinity in return for a period of halted growth after leaving your range. (Provided by: Ouroboros, [Verdure Parasite])
The Golems Echo: You have absorbed the last vestige of a defeated Ascended, taking its heart for your own. You gain the ability to temporarily return your defeated enemy to a semblance of life, materializing a fragile echo of The Golem to fight by your side. (Provided by: Ouroboros, [The Golems Fading Heart])
After all of the old options appeared, I perked up a little, curious at what option my newest Core skill would give .
Life Hunter: You have reached for eternity, attempting to defy death. You gain the ability to imbue your temporarily reanimated self with the power to collect the life force of your defeated enemies, eventually allowing for a return to true life. (Provided by: Ouroboros, [Transient Reanimation])
I hissed lightly, and the thought-light flickered in response.
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