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Dungeons, Dungeoning, and Duty (Dropped)
The Core’s Story: Chapter 1: Explosion!

The Core’s Story: Chapter 1: Explosion!

**A Random Small Lake, Continent of Fherlin, Egalia**

The animals at the lake are as dead as an animated skeleton without orders. It was alive, but nothing was happening. A constant ripple was travelling across the surface of the lake, a low humming sound could barely be heard. The wind died down and the insects stopped buzzing. A cloud passed over the moon obstructing any light from reaching the ground, however, a faint light was seemingly produced by the water itself.

The light was becoming fainter and with each passing moment, the whole area returned to the buzzing and splashing ecosystem it was. The whole area seems livelier than it was.

---

Morning arrived at the lake and with it, around a dozen fishermen with their rods and buckets of supplies. They sat down and prepared for a long day of fishing.

This was a large number of fishermen, however, they all had excitedly talked to each other on the way from the local town. They had sensed something had changed and had decided to test their luck once again at fishing. Once they all were done setting up, the lake became absent of words, every last one of them is focused on the task at hand.

A green crab is snapping its claws at a fish four times its size, the crabs are not normally aggressive, although, this one found a reason to protect itself. It was perching atop a round grey crystalline rock.

The fish tries thrashing out at the crab with little success, the small crevice in which this battle takes place can fit barely two fish in it, nonetheless a full-on battle. The stalemate continues for quite a while with neither side giving ground. The reason both sides were being so aggressive was because of the crystal, to them, it was feeding them life force, they feel stronger when near it.

Through the battle, a low humming sound had started up again. The two creatures unaware continued to snap and bite. The humming increased and a small glow started to pour out of the crystal.

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The two creatures stop their standoff and look towards the crystal, they feel an ominous aura start to pour out of it. The crystal begins to hum more violently and the light flashes more brilliantly. The rock in the crevice begins to crumble, letting loose stones to fall down the sides.

If there was someone there to watch the events that happened next, they would undoubtedly be blind, and perhaps even dead. Fortunately, none witnessed the explosion. The crystal sent out a pulse of mana that pushed the rock in the crevice up and away. The rock sprayed in every direction underwater. The nearby aquatic creatures got impaled by rocketing stones, which sprayed gore out into the water. A strong current was also produced, small waves were sent out across the surface churning the mud at the bottom of the shallow parts of the lake. Water sprayed up into the air, pulling along bits of animals and stones.

---

The fishermen sat there stunned, they had communed together to eat lunch and boast their catches of the day. The eruption easily reached the height of ten men standing on top of each other. Fish bits flew everywhere, rocks travelled and reached the edges of the shore, and water rained down on them drenching their clothes.

They remained there, speechless and staring at the event that had just unfolded in the middle of the lake. Dead creatures started to float up to the surface of the water almost completely enveloping the surface in bodies.

“Ahem, we might as well clean up this mess. There is a whole lot of free produce just floating there.” One of the fishermen interrupts the silence pointing out towards the wet graveyard.

His voice stirring the others allows for conversation to start up again. “Yeah, soun’ goo’, Iya say we divvy i’ up evenly.” Gaining nods from the group, the fishermen get to work gathering everything.

Small talk ensued which brought up many questions similar to what was that eruption? However, none of them could guess what was the cause.

---

A large silver-coated fish swam around the collapsed rubble, it scrounged around for bits of crustaceans that were trapped. It senses something below the rubble turning its body, it swims towards the sensation.

The fish pushes piles upon piles of dirt and rocks with its nose, trying to get to the treasure below. Finally upheaving a large boulder, the fish stares at the crystal lying before it, entranced by the faint blue light being emitted.

It swims closer to it opening its mouth impossibly wide attempting to swallow the crystal whole. This fish was a hoarder, it swallows anything shiny or interesting that finds itself at the bottom of the lake.

The hoarder latches on to the crystal and attempts to swallow the treasure. The fish continues sucking the crystal in, but finds it is too large for its mouth. Determined, it continues to swallow, the crystal now inside its mouth starts to expand the throat of the fish. The gills start to rip apart, releasing blood into the already muddy water. It begins to thrash around trying to dislodge the object fearing for its life. With its gills and throat torn apart from its greed, the fish starts to slowly float up to the surface.

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