The Apprentice’s scream cut off abruptly as he passed out from the sudden trauma.

  Both blades clattered to the ground immediately upon their removal, the withdrawn blood clinging to the sickles with a sickening red glow. Rhamiel thought that was the appropriate word for what he was feeling. He was literally not feeling good as he stared at those sickles, covered and seemingly enhanced by the Apprentice's blood.

  “How lon’-?” Karrow started to ask before Yule entered the Cathedral.

  Yule panted heavily as he stared at the scene around the two. Blood sprayed in several directions from their fight with the Scarecrow, and its body still lay on the ground in a heap of organic and quasi-organic pieces that still spasmed. Even more interesting, he stared at the Witchfire Sickles of the Sisterhood Hag, and his breathing became more ragged as his hand rushed to cover his mouth. His green cloak came in around his shoulders, covering his brown tunic and a bandoleer of vials around his torso.

  “Snap ow’t ov it!” Karrow shouted.

  Yule shook his head, looked at the Apprentice’s condition, and winced. He raised his hands over the Apprentice’s still weeping wounds, and both the wounds and his hands glowed a silver blue light. Wisps of light swirled around his hands and the injuries for a few seconds before the light dimmed.

  Yule reached into his bandoleer and talked as he worked. “Good news, he was not afflicted with any kind of malady, disease, curse, poison, or toxin that is spreading through his system.” He said, uncorking two of the vials, placed the open ends together, and shook the ingredients together. One with pink water, and the other with a couple of red leaf plants blending into a swirl of magic. “But the bad news is that now he is suffering from sheer damage to his body AND his life force.”

  “Bu’ ya ca’ fi’ it?” Karrow asked as he watched worriedly.

  “Yes, but it's not an immediate fix. I am not a healer; I can make potions. I have a quick fix that will aid in his recovery of both his bodily health and life force, but he will take time to heal back to his usual self.” Yule said, dropping a bottle and replacing it with another. The Pink water with red leaves was then mixed with a coiled golden stalk with silk hair strands.

  Before Rhamiel’s eyes, the three-part concoction glowed slightly as the ingredients melted, blended, and became a potion.

  Puzzled, Rhamiel asked the obvious question. “What's the difference between life force and health?”

  “Health is the physical body, and Life Force is a power that reinforces the body. Life Force is an invisible Attribute that you cannot increase; you can only grow it through leveling, rare skills, or Perks.”

  “And I take it that Apprentice Keane’s Life Force was diminished by the Sickles?” Rhamiel confirmed. “I mean, why else would you use such a potion otherwise?”

  “Correct.” Yule paused, taking the vial with the now swirling red and gold potion, and poured it down the Apprentice’s mouth.

  The effect was almost immediate; his labored breathing eased, and a sigh escaped his lips. Rhamiel adjusted his perspective and saw the external damage begin to repair itself at a slow but noticeable pace.

  Nodding at the work, Yule continued, “I think he will be fine now. All he needs is time to heal naturally, unless we get an actual healer. I just make potions.”

  “Hey, not just potions,” Rhamiel defended. “You just saved him.”

  He shrugged, “Whatever you say, Rhamiel.” He then looked around him at the Sickles with a distrustful glare, then back to the Apprentice. What are you going to do with these?”

  “I don’t know,” Rhamiel answered truthfully. “I don’t know if anyone can use them, and for now, I can’t use them. Maybe soon I can, but unless you want them-”

  “Oh, for madness ' sake, no,” Yule cursed, quickly shaking his head. “No, I am not touching a weapon consecrated for most of the old gods, let alone one owned by the Sisterhood Hag.”

  “Why not?” he pressed.

  “The Sisterhood Hag wasn’t exactly an evil goddess, but she certainly was not benevolent or kind. As well as being a Witch, she created a branch of Alchemy that mimics witchcraft magic with alchemical catalysts. And let's just say that witchcraft is generally quite dark,” he shuddered. “Anyway, the only other thing I know is that the Sisterhood Hag is that an entire Coven of Hags sacrificed themselves in a profane ritual to bind their essences and powers together into one body, the one that became a goddess.”

  “Oh, neat!” Rhamiel chirped.

  “My suggestion, don’t have anyone except maybe Graham touch them, even briefly. The other question I have is…” he grabbed the Crimson Core of Nils from the Apprentice’s loose grip. “Why didn’t you break this thing already?!” he accused.

  Red veins sprang up from the gem, grabbing onto Yule’s hand and pulling taut in an instant. He tried to let go of the Core, only for more to spin itself from Mana and grab him up to his wrist. In a sickening moment, Rhamiel thought the strands looked like blood veins.

  Nils' voice came from the Core, a light shining from its center. “NOT A GOLEM, BUT YOU WILL DO! Acquire Form!” He intoned as if activating a power.

  “Oh no, you won’t,” Yule snarled as he reached towards his belt under his cloak and withdrew a small and incredibly sharp blade.

  Even as Nils began cackling, Yule took the Scalpel and severed the strands of solid Mana that were gliding up his arm slowly. Bits of the red string fell free, but they were quickly replaced as whatever ability Nils was using continued to advance up his arm.

  “Fug’ thi’,” Karrow growled. Moving his pickaxe to his off hand, he forced his fingers through the fibrous tangle wrapping around Yule’s right arm and grasped the Core. With a hard pull, he dragged Nils Core several inches away from the Alchemist's hands, pulling him off balance at the same time with a yelp.

  Using his pickaxe, he pushed Nils as far as he could to keep the fibrous strings taut and the grasping Core a little further.

  “Wut are ya waitin’ for! Cut it!” he shouted at the panicking yule.

  Yule’s eyes went wide as he recognized what Karrow was doing. He leaned forward with the Scalpel, extending the Scalpel as far as he could, reaching forward and straining with effort.

  “I REFUSE!” Nils shouted defiantly. Then, in a moment of clarity, Rhamiel saw Nils turn his gaze to the Miner, and he felt the Mana move, changing the target from Yule to Karrow. “ACQUIRE FORM!”

  “Now!” Rhamiel shouted. Then, on instinct, he pulled on the Divine Mana of Order to cast one more Spell. Targeting the Cathedral, Rhamiel cast the Spell and intoned its name with a shout, “Whispers of the Prime Shape!”

  The entire open Structure glowed as if it were the midday sun for a second as a white light shone in the center of Yule’s and Karrow’s eyes as the Spell took hold. The minor connection to the Eldritch God of Order sharpened their focus and calmed them both in this moment of panic.

  Yule’s action was as instant and sharp as the blade he held in his hand. With a swing that was as fluid as if he practiced it his whole life, Yule’s whole body twisted with the ascent and descent of his Scalpel. At the same time, Karrow saw the fibrous tendrils grabbing him and pulling away from Yule, and let go the instant Yule’s Scalpel severed the Core from his arm.

  Both immediately hurried away from the Core that still had the fibers reaching towards Karrow futilely.

  Nils screamed inside his Core, the sound reaching only Rhamiel, who could hear it through his Domains' ambient Mana. It was filled with indignant, impotent rage that reacted with the Mana, agitating it to move faster, but not obeying his will. Which, as far as Rhamiel could discern, was to go back into the Scarecrow’s chest cavity.

  “Wha’ tha fug wa’ thah?” Karrow cursed.

  “Damn it, Rhamiel,” Yule agreed as he hurried back from the Core, dragging the Apprentice with him. “What was that?!”

  “One of my few spells helps you maintain focus and calm for a while,” Rhamiel stated, looking at the fallen Core.

  “You spells are based on the Outer Gods, right?” Yule checked. “Then what is the downside?”

  “Oh, uh, the Minor Insanity Debuff,” Rhamiel muttered.

  Yule’s eyes went wide. “Please tell me you said, MINOR Insanity.”

  “Yeah, why?”

  Yule looked at Karrow and sighed in relief, “Oh, good. I mean, when it applies, it's going to be unpleasant, but Minor Insanity does not include suicidal thoughts or actions. It does mean obsession,

  confusion, and delusions.”

  “I, uh, see,” Karrow nodded. Ah, wi’ retuhn to teh mine now. Ya’ nee’ anythin’ else?”

  “No, I can watch the Apprentice,” Yule nodded. “Thanks for helping to stop that thing,” he said, gesturing towards the empty Scarecrow husk.

  Karrow nodded, retrieved his pickaxe, and left the Cathedral with a contemplative look on his face. Rhamiel followed him for a moment, and the only thing he heard him say as he entered the mine was “new ability, eh?”

  “So, what are you going to do about that?” Yule asked again, pointing to the Core.

  “Oh, I have an idea for a tricky Core that tried to take you over. Not that I have any real use for it yet, but…”

  ***

  “Wow, you had me wait this long just to say you’ll put him in that?” Yule rolled his eyes. “Why not kill him and be done with it?”

  Sitting across the center of the settlement from Rhamiel, the central bonfire being the only thing between them now was a new Tier 0 Core Generator.

  “A thought I had. Eventually, we will need a way to generate power, well, more power because I can’t just fund everything, right? That's where some of these Cores could come in, willingly or not; they may be able to power sections of the settlement. You know, when I have more things to power. AND I don’t think he can reconstitute a body while he is stuffed in there, given that he is surrounded by Core Crystal I created.”

  Yule looked a little skeptical, “How do you know that?”

  “I-I’m not sure. Just a hunch, Core stuff, you know?”

  He shrugged, “Fair enough. But do me one favor, if we do have to break and kill him, can I have his pieces and not that crazy old coot Artisen? I might have some ideas to use the proper Core Crystal.”

  “Okay!” Rhamiel agreed.

  Yule shook his head and walked away as the single Basic Drone that held Nils Core Crystal hovered up to the slot where a Core could be fit inside and slid it in. The silken strands of his Acquire Form ability found no purchase on the Drone, only kind of touching it, but unable to engulf and absorb it.

  Probably due to the Drone being a Perk of Rhamiel’s and not a real creature.

  As soon as Nils was inserted into the Generator, the entire Structure turned from a steel blue color to an iron ore red. Inside, it raged against its bonds even as its Acquire form ability still attempted to make it a monster. The situation was interesting: while he couldn’t hear the Creature Core, he could get a sense of his emotional state when it was heightened.

  And boy was he pissed off.

  That was when the new prompt appeared.

  That reminded him that he had some System Prompts waiting for him to look over after Nils' defeat. He knew what a few of the prompts were about, but even thoughts found a way to surprise him.

  Rhamiel was giddy at these new prompts. Four Levels! A new Perk! A new Skill! A Tier 1 and Tier 3 upgrade! Oh, for Wisdom’s sake, yes!

  “Rhamiel?” Joselin called to him from outside the wall. “Is everything good? You seem suddenly very excited?”

  “Well, yeah, we defeated the Creature Core Nils. I stuffed him in a Core Generator to syphon his magic for me, yay. Apprentice Keane got hurt, but Yule healed him back to safety and had a Drone bring him to the Architect’s Library for the moment. Karrow, help us beat the Core. Oh, from that fight, I leveled up four times.” He responded giddily, the happiness making it hard to keep talking.

  “Well, wow. Okay, uh, do you want to talk about how you are going to level up?” She asked. “If you gave me a few minutes, I could head inside to talk to you better.”

  “No, I think I got it,” Rhamiel chirped. “I will let you know if I need to talk about something.”

  “O-okay,” she sighed. Rhamiel watched her for a moment, as her shoulders stiffened and she looked up into the sky as if talking to a hover ghost. “Actually, no. I want to be a part of this discussion, and oh, there will be a discussion.”

  “What?” Rhamiel asked, feeling suddenly baffled. “Where is this coming from? You didn’t care last time.”

  “Last time you were being moody, and I still don’t know why. Now, you are very level-headed, level-headed, and I want to know all about your choices so I can give you a suggestion. As your System Guide, I should always be part of the discussion to offer suggestions. Especially since I have been studying the improved System Guides, there are a few Skills or Perks that, if they pop up, you need to take them.”

  Rhamiel wanted to argue; it was ultimately his choice, right? It was his powers, his level up, and his progression, so shouldn’t he make the ultimate choice?

  “Fair enough,” Rhamiel agreed. “I’ll wait a few minutes. Let me know when you're ready.”

  Joselin nodded and began following the wall.

  Suddenly feeling sullen for having to wait, he turned his attention to the Core Power Cable that he was improving before all this started. It was automated, so it should be done by now.

  A quick check confirmed it, and Rhamiel was happy again. Now he could look into increasing the Mana he was feeding into the Architect's Library and improve it, probably by an extreme amount. This would mean more Blueprints he could use, which was always a good thing. He was already preparing to upgrade the Walls to the blueprint he received earlier today, and he would take anything literally.

  Rhamiel slowly increased the amount of Mana from 1 point, meaning 3.1 points, to 2 or 6.2 points with his Core Power Modifier. He watched as the two points of Mana multiplied further in the Core Generator and immediately felt pain rocket through his body.

  At the exact moment, a trio of white-green arcs of power burst from the Core Power Cable in a series of cracking pops that sounded like splintering trees.

  He quickly cut off the power, but the damage had already been done. Sprouting from the Cable were three chaotic bundles of fibers made from his Core Crystal, each frayed and splintered and covered in barbs.

  Though everything hurt, Rhamiel looked over his own damage first. It wasn’t so bad. His Crystal was reasonably durable, but a large crack now ran across his cloudy light purple surface. With his current Durability of over 110, this did not even bring him down to three-quarters health.

  Now looking at the Ruptured Cables, he found exactly as he had seen moments ago. Three ruptured cables with their twisted fiber cables arcing into the air before plunging into the ground. Twisted and gnarled like roots but covered in barbed thorns, that same white-green lightning gently arcing between the thorns.

  On a whim, he used Aspected Analysis on one of the Ruptures.

  “What in the world is that!” shouted Hutch. The man had come running out after hearing the sound from inside the Architects' Library, and from there, Rhamiel got a real sense of the trio of Core Brambles' size; the tallest part of each arcing bramble was taller than Hutch.

  “Nothing?” Rhamiel said.

  “Nothing?”

  “Nope.”

  He glared at the Brambles, then up at the sky. “Fine.” Then, he immediately returned inside the Library, grumbling under his breath with every step.

  He quickly told Yule about the incident, explained what happened, and said he could harvest the brambles for experiments. His only request was to hurry; he couldn’t repair the Cable while the brambles were still attached to the Cable.

  Grumbling, Rhamiel analyzed his mistake with the Rupture and quickly found the issue. The Core Power Cables could only carry a load of 15 Mana, and he forgot to include the new times four multiplier from the Generator itself. After fiddling with the settings, he found he could adjust how much Mana he fed into the system with reasonable ease. In fact, he only had an issue with it when he intentionally added more Mana and increased the load.

  After sulking for several minutes over his stupidity, Joselin called out for him.

  “Okay, you ready?”