"He has a core."

The weight of that discovery felt like it was crushing Zack's own crystal heart beneath it. The others had told him that cores like him were ground up and used for magical reagents, but to see one of his kind being used as nothing but a glorified cane… That put the whole thing into a greater perspective.

Zack took small solace in the fact that he had yet to reveal his nature to Snow. It was quite likely he didn't know that the dungeon spirit was actually a crystal core no different from the one on his cane. That small comfort did nothing to assuage Zack's worry, though.

If Snow had one core in his posession, and she was begging for help, how many more might he have? How many others of Zack's kind might be out there, awake but unable to function for one reason or another?

The questions kept building up, the fears and worries running circles through Zack's thoughts. It wasn't until he heard Alex shouting that he remembered there were others in his dungeon. He refocused his attention, realizing that at some point he had relaxed his grip on his awareness. It was a weird experience, one that led to him taking in his whole dungeon at once rather than any specific point. He narrowed his focus until he was once again staring from a single point in space—a wisp hovering in the lobby.

"Zack, you need to calm down," Alex said. His voice was urgent and loud, like he was scared or worried. That didn't sound right, though. Zack was the one who was scared. He was just confronted with the fate his kind has been suffering in his absence and—

Zack noticed Jean-Claude at Alex's feet. The waxy-green kobold was curled into a ball, his hands clutched protectively over his head, like he was scared something might be trying to hurt him. A quick glance at other mobs confirmed they were in similar states. Bob the counter kobold was petrified, standing perfectly still like a plastic statue. The Medibolds in various rooms were passed out on the ground, catatonic with their eyes a solid white. Even the dire rabbits were hiding beneath the carnations in the meadow. Archie was doing his best to calm his feral brethren down, but they refused to listen to him.

"What's… going on?" Zack asked, returning his attention back to Alex.

"I don't know. It just happened once Snow left," Alex said, relieved to hear Zack's voice. "What happened in there?"

Zack quickly got Alex up to speed on what he missed after storming out of the manor. He could feel the binding oath inside his mana threatening to squeeze out a drop of magic, but it was a simple matter to isolate that strange enchantment and eject it from the rest. He created a wisp to store that thread of mana as he fully explained what happened to his friend.

"Then, she spoke to me," Zack murmured. "There's a core on his cane."

"Why would he have a core on his cane?" Alex asked.

"I don't know, but if I had to guess? It's aether filtration. One of the primary functions of cores is to take in aether and spit out mana. Snow might be using that core to filter the stray aether from his spells back into mana, extending his functional mana pool."

Alex frowned and rubbed his chin in thought. "That makes sense. Most magic staffs have a mana storage crystal set into them for their wielders to draw off of. It's more like a battery than a filter, though. It has a set amount of mana it can store and has to be recharged by the user over time, but that mana can be drawn out whenever it's needed."

Zack idly wondered which concept came first. If he had to guess, it was Snow's cane that inspired the staffs now used by contemporary mages.

"What do you plan to do about this?" Alex asked.

There was a long pause as Zack considered the question. Was there anything he could do about it?

On the one hand, one of his kind was asking for help. A fellow core, a fellow person, was in need of aid. Zack couldn't turn his back on them given who had control of them. If Snow found out he had a potential dungeon core in his posession, he might try to force her to become the training ground he wanted.

On the other hand, though, what could Zack reasonably do? He was a dungeon core, and was functionally trapped in one place. His crystal heart wasn't what anyone would call mobile, and even if he sent someone out there was no guarantee they'd be able to rescue the core.

Then there was the problem of rescuing the core being theft. Did he really want to risk a legal hammer being brought down upon his head? He just finished dodging one of those, the last thing he wanted was to risk another.

"I don't know," Zack said quickly. "I don't know if there's anything I can do."

Zack took several deep mental breaths in an attempt to calm himself down. Though there was no physical action, the thought was enough to steadily calm him down. Slowly, the kobolds returned to normal and the bunnies exited their hiding places. In the meadow, Archie scooped one into his arms and pet it slowly, whispering softly into its ears in an attempt to help ease its racing heart.

Archie!

It was a bad idea. Worse than bad, it was a stupid, dangerous, and risky idea. But it was an idea all the same.

"Archie, can you please come meet me in the manor after we close. My core room. Bring Alex, Greg, and Chandra with you," Zack said, before speaking next to Alex. "I have an idea of how to handle this. Meet me in my core room later. Archie will lead you there."

With that, Zack shot his awareness out of the lobby and dismissed the wisp he was using to communicate with Alex. There were still a few more hourse before closing, so he wanted to hash out the plan as best as he could.

When closing time came and the customers filtered out of the building, Archie led the others through the manor and into Zack's core room. He didn't bother explaining the mechanisms he was using to open the passageway, something that Zack had yet to fully explain to anyone else. It was a safety precaution, one Zack didn't intend to compromise.

The first thing the others noticed upon entering the room was how big Zack's crystal was. When they first started their enterprise nearly a month earlier, Zack's core was about as large as Alex's thumb. Now he was the size of two fists, with large, jagged crystal structures jutting from the main core. He rested upon the desk, looking for all the world like a paperweight in a corporate office.

Zack started by explaining the situation in detail for everyone present. Chandra and Greg weren't a part of the earlier conversation, and so missed out on a lot of context. Archie helped him get them up to speed, filling in gaps or details that the dungeon either forgot or neglected to mention.

When he explained that Snow had a crystal core, both of the others stared at him with wide, horrified eyes. Though Zack had never fully divulged his nature to them, it was easy to draw conclusions about what having a core could mean.

"I want to free her," Zack finally said. "Or rescue her, as it were. I… I can't leave her like that."

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

Chandra and Greg shared a look with one another, before turning to Alex as though to ask if Zack were serious. Archie crossed his arms and tapped a foot in a familiarly impatient manner. Zack could feel the unease bubbling up inside him. Normally when he had a terrible plan, Greg or Chandra were the first ones to call him out. That they were being uncharacteristically quiet did not bode well for this plan.

"I'm out," Chandra finally said, her ears drooping. "Zack, Alex, this is where I have to draw the line. We had one brush with the law already, one that came dangerously close to getting us in real trouble. A warning for illegal adventuring is something I can handle, but you're talking about stealing from an Archmage."

"Don't think of it as stealing, think of it as rescuing a hostage," Zack offered.

"No, Zack. Legally, cores aren't recognized as people. In fact, I don't think core is even in the public vocabulary when referring to people who were turned to crystal in the Boom," Chandra rebutted. "No matter how you try to spin this, you're talking about robbing someone with power and station. I can't be a part of this."

Greg crossed his arms over his impressively large chest and nodded his agreement. "If you were to reveal your nature to the public, maybe we can swing something that way—"

"NO!"

Even Zack was surprised by how loud he shouted. The sound came not only from the wisp in the room, but from every wisp in the dungeon and his crystal core. The word echoed through his halls and made every mob in his dungeon jump in surprise.

"I can't reveal myself, not right now," Zack said, quickly regaining control of himself. "When I'm stronger and larger, maybe I can risk it. Right now, though, Snow wants to take me away. Even now I guarantee he's looking for a way to bind me drag me to Waterloo. I can't let him or any other archmage find out what I am, not until I'm strong enough to hold them off."

Chandra flicked her ears and turned to Greg. He shook his head and shrugged in response.

"Then I'm out," Chandra said again, turning back to Zack's crystal.

Zack mentally scanned the point of sale system they've been using and added its pattern to his arsenal. Chandra was technically the owner of their card reader, and he didn't want to be left without a way to receive payment for access to his dungeon.

"I can't stop you from leaving, Chandra," Zack said, once he was sure he could easily replicate the device. "I just… I hoped my life and the lives of my peers meant more to you than this."

Chandra pulled her lips back in a snarl but stopped herself from growling. "Your kind offers a unique opportunity, and that's something worth protecting, but you're not talking about protecting things. You're talking about robbing from a fucking archmage. Do you understand what that means, Zack? They don't just throw those titles around for no reason. Only the most powerful mages on the planet are awarded that moniker."

"I figured as such, but I still have to try—"

"No! You don't have to try anything!" Chandra blurted. Her fists tightened, her tail tucked between her legs. "Alex, please try to talk some sense into your literal rocks-for-brains boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend!" Alex stammered defensively. "And anyway, I actually agree with Zack on this."

"What!?" Greg roared, his eyes widening with rage. "How could you possibly think this is a good idea!?"

"Think about it. If one dungeon was enough to disrupt the status quo, imagine what two could do? Or more!" Alex explained. "Zack has told us time and time again that the whole reason for dungeons to exist is to help people deepen their connection to the Akashic System, to learn magic! That's the very thing these archmages are keeping away from the rest of us!"

"Technically dungeons are just one core type. There are also wild lands and flying citadels," Zack explained. "I digress. No matter the form we take, cores help people learn magic while also filtering unusable aether back into mana. There is a natural function missing from the world because cores aren't circulating magic properly. If I had to guess, that might even be a reason why monsters spontaneously appear."

For a moment, the expression on Chandra's face turned pensive. It was gone as quickly as it appeared, though, with a shake of her head. "Good luck explaining that to anyone without proof. I'm still out."

"If you want to leave, we can't stop you," Archie said with a dip of his chin. "I will miss you."

"Don't you start with me," Chandra warned, jabbing a finger at the rabbit.

Archie smirked knowingly but silently obliged.

"I'm out, too," Greg said. "I went to jail once, and I don't plan on going back any time soon."

"In that case, maybe you two should leave now?" Alex said, looking away. "Wouldn't want to overhear our plans. Keep your plausible deniability and all that."

"Alex, don't be like that," Greg said, hurt. "I still want to work with you guys, but not like this. I can't go back to prison. Orcs get harsher sentences, you know that."

"Speak for yourself. If you plan to commit larceny, I'm completely out," Chandra scoffed. She waited to see if anyone was going to try and stop her, before turning tail and striding toward the door. "See you around, boys."

Zack watched her go, making sure she made it safely back to the lobby before shutting the manor door behind her. He ordered Jean-Claude to keep a close eye on her, just in case she tried to steal anything, and quietly reprimanded himself. When did he become so untrusting of people he considered friends?

Either way, Chandra wasn't going to help. Zack left her to gather her things and turned his attention back to his core room. Both Alex and Greg were staring at the floor, not daring to meet anyone's gaze. Archie was the only one standing with his head high. Zack spun up a wisp to alert the others that he was back, dismissing the old one at the same time.

"I should go after her," Alex said quietly. "Maybe I can talk some sense into her?"

"Don't bother," Zack said, the words harsher than he intended. He could have been a bit more tactful, but at that moment he wasn't sure he cared. "If Chandra doesn't care to help me save my peers, I'm not sure I want her around."

"Zack," Alex muttered.

"Does the same go for me, Zack?" Greg asked, finally looking up again. "I don't want to help you steal anything, either. Does that mean you don't want me around?"

"Greg—" Alex started.

"I don't know. Maybe it does," Zack admitted. "I've been nothing but accomodating to you guys. I've done things the way you wanted, even at the detriment to my own advancement. The one time I need something back, it's too much to ask?"

"One time!?" A vein in Greg's forehead bulged. "What about all those things I bring you? You think I did that out of the goodness of my heart? That shit is expensive, and I paid for all of it out of pocket."

"And you got paid for all of them. Now it's my turn."

Greg pinched the bridge of his nose. "You know what? I don't need this crap, either. Chandra had the right idea. I'm out."

Before anyone could get another word in, Greg had turned on his heel and stormed out of the room. Zack slammed the door behind him, and directed the manor slimes to guide him out of the wing. Once he reached the main lobby, both Bob and Jean-Claude were waiting to see him out. Unlike Chandra, he didn't have much he needed to collect. He still paused to grab his weapons from the forge, and took a few extras for good measure.

Zack silently fumed as he watched them go. He was mad at himself for how they behaved, but also for how he handled it. Some small part of him wanted to beg them to come back, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. This was too important, why couldn't they see that?

With a mental sigh, he returned his focus back to his core room and stared at Alex. "Are you going to leave me, too?"

Alex shook his head sadly. "Zack, you know I'm in this with you for the long haul, but… Well, we can't really run the dungeon on a skeleton crew."

"It's fine. I'll spin up some mobs to replace them. Hell, why not use actual skeletons to crew the place? Sounds like fun."

The conversation they had the other day, about Zack replacing workers with mobs, flashed through the dungeon's mind.

"Once we have enough working capital, you can hire people to actually run the dungeon," Zack assured him, noticing how pale his friend was growing. "For now, this is just so you don't have to do everything yourself, okay?"

That seemed to satisfy Alex, at least for now. "How do you intend to steal Snow's staff, anyway?"

"I don't know, I haven't thought that far ahead," Zack sighed. "Honestly, I was hoping I could convince you guys to do it. I'm not exactly the most mobile member of our merry crew."

"Perhaps I can be of asssitance in this regard?" Archie asked. The rabbit had been mostly silent during the arguement—except to tease Chandra. Now that discussion had died down, Zack was reminded that his elite mob was present for the whole thing. "You aren't mobile, but I am."

"Is that such a good idea?" Alex asked. "I mean, you're still a dungeon mob. Are you able to leave the bounds of the dungeon?"

"I haven't a clue. It's worth a try, at least to experiment, no?" Archie asked, cocking an eyebrow at Zack's core.

Zack considered it for a long moment. Archie was technically a part of him, his mana given form through complex instruction and magic. Despite that, Archie was also an autonomous entity with his own thoughts and behaviours. Why couldn't he leave the dungeon, the same as any other being?

"I think that's an experiment worth conducting," Zack agreed.