Blue Core

Chapter 36C: Year 2 Day 35 – Ansae

She had forgotten how good it felt to be healthy. That was no exaggeration. It had been centuries since she was full on health or mana, and it had been even longer since she had been completely free from degradation in her Skills. She had still been The Silver Woe, still been able to bend mana to her whim, but shed been crippled. All her limbs worked, but the mana within her had been stagnant, the flows stifled and sore.

It was like taking the first full breath after drowning. It was like spreading her wings for the very first time. It was like many things but not the same as any of them because she was her true self for the very first time in almost as long as she could remember. Even before her disastrous attempt to destroy the rift itself, depletion had eaten away at what she could do, as it did for everyone. Little bits here and there, but they added up.

The Silver Woe stretched out her aura to encompass the whole of the Caldera, sliding through the parallel expanded space that made it thousands of miles instead of tens, and reached out over all of Tarnil, too, as well as Nivir and Haerlish, Kinul and Orrelin. Not that she intended to do anything to anyone there, it was just out of sheer indulgence in the fact that she could.

Jeez, what is that? Blue said, voice ringing through the mana vibrations in the crystal pendant around her neck.

Just taking a deep breath, Ansae said, smiling as she held all the mana flows of the Caldera in her metaphorical claws for a moment before releasing them. Everything was so much easier now. She went through almost-forgotten spells that had been reflexive and nigh-permanent once upon a time. Kinetic soak, contingency speed, reactive scryward, mana siphon, the list went on. At the same time, she destroyed the static mana armor shed put around herself for protection, from both from depletion and from being too noticeable; a bright light rather than a blazing beacon.

Uhh. And here I thought you were scary before.

Oh, Blue. I was scary before. But now I am truly myself again. She stretched her wings and flapped them once, shifting through tangled spatial mana into the Fortress, traversing the distance without Blues help. From there she flew through the portal, out into Chiuxatlan, watching the depletion mana simply slide right off her. You have no idea how satisfying it is to be able to ignore all this, she told him, casting her senses out over the country.

Yeah, probably not, but I can imagine its holy shit. He interrupted himself as she flexed her will and every single blightbeast in Chiuxatlan crumpled and died. She didnt even spare the plants, exterminating everything that was cycling the depletion-laden mana.

Yes, I cant actually purge the depletion like you can, but I can at least stop the generation of more, Ansae said. Mostly, she was pleased by how easy it was, no longer something she needed to call upon her moon for.

Yeah, damn. I suppose thats going to make cleaning up the rift a lot easier.

It should, Ansae said modestly, looking around at the suddenly silent landscape. Already the mana cycles were faltering, which under other circumstances would have demanded her intervention, but it was all poisoned. Blue would have to purge it, which simply required time. She flicked her tail and stepped, blurring through space again to the Fortress, wings stretched wide as she idly circled around the giant black chunk of rock hulking in the middle of a Chiuxatlan river valley.

Speaking of which, when do you want to take it on? She looked eastward, senses reaching out to touch the floating islands there. I can ensure there will be no dungeonbane weapons, or anyone to man them.

So, uh, I was kind of hoping I could talk you out of killing absolutely everyone. Tor Kot and Yit Niv donated their cores to the cause, and they wanted me to make sure to do what I could when we took over. Which I think is fair enough, and behavior that ought to be rewarded.

Hm, that is true. It complicates things, though. Its always simpler to just raze everything, and it works. That said, she wasnt going to impugn Blues honor by violating even an implicit agreement. She owed Blue a lot, more than she could properly pay back, and she wasnt going to start her reclaimed life by offending him.

I bet it does, and I bet there will be an enormous number of blightbeasts to get rid of, but I dont want to just nuke everything when we already know that the ring of red cores is containing it somehow. Even if you and I are depletion immune, I dont want to spread it accidentally.

Take the Hedron in there, she suggested. I can ensure its safe, and you can throw as much mana at the source as we need.

Yeah, true. But. Hmm. You know, in two weeks Ill have another two dungeon seeds. That way I dont have to risk the Hedron not that Im saying you couldnt protect it, Blue said hastily. Its just that if I actually do have to pump out tons of mana Im liable to break things. Plus I bet Ill have to take over that entire central island, if not every single island, and having more dungeon seeds will make that easier.

I thought youd be ready to jump on the chance, Ansae said, a little amused.

Yeah, well, I think weve all learned our lesson about going off half-cocked. I want to get a plan together with you and Iniri and Shayma that hedges as many bets as possible so I dont have to clean up an even worse mess than I already do. As it stands I think Im looking at years of just grinding away at everything.

Well. Im certain that I can make things go faster now that Im back to my old self, but your point is well-taken. I wont be trying to simply blast it into oblivion, as tempting as that course of action is. She wheeled around and dived back into the Hedron, looking around at the dragons that were temporarily housed there. Now that I am properly whole again, I do have unfinished business I can attend to while were waiting.

Just out of curiosity, what unfinished business is there after hundreds of years?

Oh, things I left behind. Artifacts and magic items to track down, agreements to follow up on. The Leviathans at the very least will still remember, and some of the older dragons. Ansae waved a negligent claw. It shouldnt take me long to track down who or what I want. Not now that Im at my full power again.

Sounds like you have a plan. I just hope you also plan to come back. Blue sounded slightly worried, and Ansae chuckled.

Not only do I want depletion gone, you forget I still want children from you. Not to mention my lair in the Caldera. Ansae smiled. Im going to be with you for a good long time.