O'llina was nervous but full of fascination observing the events playing out on the huge war table. For the first time in nine hundred years, she could fight the blight that tried to cover the world. She hated the forests and wanted them all to wither and die...

"Don't let hatred poison your mind, O'llina." Galahad, who was leaning over the war table, said calmly. "Hatred is the source of failure. Hatred blinds your judgement. Hatred is the cause of all mistakes."

"It's easy for you to say that..." She tried to control herself but almost snarled at the Scion of her Emperor. "He killed my friends and-"

"He killed my sisters, O'llina." Galahad interrupted her with a cold voice. "The two people without whom I would never be who I am. So spare me your excuses."

"So you should hate him as well!" She shouted.

"Should I? Hardly. But in a sense, I hate him." Galahad clenched his fist. "I detest him and I will be there when we shatter his core. But, I do not hate him like you. Iris and Lilly wouldn't want that. That's why, if my Lord allows me, I will kill him, just like that."

"He shackled me for centuries..." She almost whispered.

"But now you are free." He said. "I understand your hatred. But, if you succumb to it, you will fall victim to an even greater evil. Void and Chaos are waiting for the opportunity to corrupt another Dungeon."

As he spoke, with a slow nod, he showed her what Jasper and the Second Legion had seen in the Squirrel Dungeon. She reluctantly watched in silence the decay and destruction that doomed the faraway Dungeon.

"I want revenge, Lord Galahad..." She finally said, more akin to a powerless hiss than a voice.

"And revenge shall you have." He nodded and she relaxed. "But you must understand your significance to our war effort. You, of all, can't allow yourself to make a single mistake. If Vestargo manages to push us back, he will try to subsume you once again. Once he learns what you told us and that you lied to him, he will turn your life into a nightmare and kill you the moment we try to retake your Dungeon. So, if you want to fight, do it wisely. Mindless hatred will only get you killed. You have to turn your blinding rage into righteous anger. Turn your weakness into your weapon, O'llina."

She felt a burning fury stirring her core but the cold voice of Galahad was still echoing in the chamber. She needed only a moment to be reminded of the dread and despair, at the mere thought, that she could be, again, enslaved by Vestargo. She tried to calm down and focus on her link with the other Cores. They were calm but full of anger. She felt their desire to crush Vestargo, erase his existence like the vermin he was. Yet, their wrath was aimed, contained, and precise. In the tangled tide of thoughts and feelings of the Cores of Arcadia, she found a single one. It wasn't just hatred, but a hate that was moulded into the promise of merciless death. The Emperor... He wasn't going to forgive Vestargo. His wrath was like a sword poised to fall in a way that no one could run from. She found comfort and strength in his clear emotions. O'llina had almost calmed herself when she felt the alarm raised by the guards and the chilling wail of the emergency sirens.

"He is coming." She whispered in shock and fear.

"He promised to save you." Galahad shrugged. "Albeit, he and my Lord have two different visions of saving."

She felt the mighty barriers close above the fortress and the weapon emplacements waking up. The previously neutrally lit war table changed; it became divided with many crossing lines that created a fairly dense, blue grid. Vestargo forces were instantly highlighted with red while Arcadians were green. Galahad simply nodded and the mighty cannons roared with fire that burned and ripped into pieces the mass of insects that emerged from the distant forest. The suicide bugs were darting mindlessly forward but only one in ten could reach the barrier protecting the fortress. O'llina observed Galahad, who calmly watched the situation unfold on the table below. The Scion of Avalon was unnaturally calm but she heard his orders directed at the Legion guarding the Starfal Dungeon Fortress. There was no hesitation and no doubt in his decisions. In awe, O'llina watched him, knowing she could never match his acumen and prowess...

"Commanding the static defence of a fortified position is easy. Don't you think so?" He asked.

"No." She said with awe in her voice. "Distribution of troops, allocation of supplies, commanding the fire lines, and maintaining order are not a matter of a single order or wishful thinking of the commander... Even the most seasoned warriors would fall to the sheer numbers of Vestargo's minions."

"Oh?" He didn't have eyebrows to raise.

"Surprised?" O'llina would grin if she could.

"A bit?" He chuckled. "But it will be easier for you to swallow what I must say next. You must learn how to defend yourself, O'llina."

She considered it for a moment, then she asked. "Will you really teach me?"

"Yes," Galahad replied as he tapped the table on a square a bit further from the stronghold. The fort's artillery drowned the entire sector with fire that quickly spread from the targeted point, cutting off Vestargo's forces. "Commanding our forces from here has its pros and cons but, inevitably, I will leave. You will have to fare for yourself."

"You are right." She sighed, slightly disappointed. "So, what is this going to look like?"

"For now, you should watch me-"

Galahad's voice quieted, suspended as he focused on one part of the forest. His orders changed and she felt a massive shift in the structure of the Magic Shield protecting the fortress. It formed many layers towards one direction while it was significantly weakened in others.

"Scion Galahad-" O'llina began, however, before she could finish her question, a violent beam of red light hit the layered shield and shattered five of its fifteen layers. "What was that?!"

"Most probably an enemy scion," Galahad answered with an angry voice and shook his head.

The fortress artillery focused on the spot where the attack came from. O'llina, however, tried to understand how Galahad knew what was going to happen. She re-analysed the events before the devastating attack and deduced that this area was empty of enemy monsters. However, it was empty from the very beginning of the attack, yet, Galahad predicted its exact moment.

"How?" She finally asked, giving up on guessing.

"The moment before the attack, you can sense a huge spike in power from the general direction of that particular elusive enemy," Galahad explained. "Its attack is highly devastating but, as you can see, you can block it. So far the enemy power output remains the same. However, if you fail to layer the shields, the attack is going to pierce a standard shield and, most probably, punch through the walls. Even if the attack alone isn't enough to destroy the enchanted stones, it is sufficient to disable the point defences. I shouldn't have to tell you that losing the point defences would allow the bugs to use their acid to create a breach. Fortunately, that attack can only be unleashed once and, if you pummel the source area with artillery fire, you might kill that enemy."

"I see..." She said nervously.

"Don't worry. Our operational plans changed drastically after we secured this position." He highlighted a forward base, less than ten kilometres from the Starlight Fortress. "One of the border forts is nearly completed. Once we finish building two more, we will have a firm control over this sector. In the meantime, we are doubling our efforts to find more Dungeons nearby."

"How long do I have?"

"A few weeks, maybe a month." He sighed. "Fighting against someone like Vestargo requires constant pressure. We have to push forward, no matter how high our losses are. Because, once we stop, we will never be able to move forward again. So this is your only chance to learn how to defend yourself."

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"You must teach me how to detect that enemy and how to use the artillery..." She said with determination. "I can't allow myself to be enslaved again."

"In that case, we should start by selecting your first spawner and pick an appropriate path for the scion..."

•••

As Demesne finished her work she heard a faint voice calling for her attention. The voice belonged to Ceallach of the Wild Beast Dungeon. She smiled and, as she entered her Core form, she felt dizzy. She suddenly realised that her usual perspective had changed - she was no longer standing on a raised platform. Instead, she was lying on the floor. She took a deep breath and felt a searing pain in her lungs... A cold sweat covered her back as she, for the first time in her life, she raised her hand and touched her body. It was strange to feel parts of her body being made of flesh while there were still pieces made of solid stone. She panicked but, fortunately, she knew that she wasn't alone. She called for help from her Lord who appeared almost instantly.

"What happened, Deme-" His calm voice hung as his eyes widened. "Demesne?!"

"Help me, Master..." She managed to squeal, each word painfully tore through her throat and she felt tears flowing down her cheeks.

He slowly lifted her but, in his face, she saw a concern that made her afraid. "What's wrong with me?"

"I have no idea." He answered honestly and behind him appeared Empress Irene, Empress Luna, Empress Hestia, and Empress Freya.

"What's going on?!" Empress Irene raised her hands and the warm waves of soothing energy flowed through Demesne's body. "Is she changing?"

"It looks like it but I've never seen anything like this!" Lady Freya kneeled near her Master and summoned a bed. "Theon put her on the bed!"

"No way. She is still partially made of marble. That bed will collapse under her weight." He slowly shook his head while Demesne took another laboured breath.

"It hurts so much, Master..." She said through her tears, feeling that she was falling into darkness.

"Regenerative Trance!"

•••

"Regenerative Trance!" Irene shouted, and Demesne immediately fell asleep. "She is suffering!"

Luna was standing motionlessly with closed eyes as she was breathing slowly. Below her were silverish magic circles that slowly revolved around her slender form casting, from time to time, blue and green shimmers. Luna was in a Sage Trance, a unique skill that provided her with answers to her questions. It was especially helpful if she already knew some part of the answer. In the meantime, Freya summoned a wide slab of blue marble and placed a thick mattress on it. I slowly lifted Demesne from the floor and placed her on the bedding. Her weight immediately flattened the fluffy material, but at least she was lying. Her face also took on a more relieved expression.

"It's ascension." Luna declared as she opened her eyes. "Every living being is capable of surpassing certain barriers restricting their growth. For monsters, it's called evolution. For others, it's ascension. Each time I grow another tail, I ascend closer to unleashing my entire potential. The lesser Gods can ascend until they reach the firmament. People ascend each time they max another subclass. Of course, Dungeons can ascend as well. Like you, Freya, and especially you, Theon. You are what's considered 'the pinnacle of Dungeon forms'. It appears that Demesne achieved an acceleration where she ascended from an inanimate form straight into a being of flesh and bone. That's why she is hurting so much. Her change, into what seems to be a Wolfkin, should have been refined into a walking crystal sculpture first, like you were, Freya, when Sebastian found you."

"It's not good!" Irena brushed off the wet hair from Demesne's face. "She is dying. Her body is some gruesome patchwork of stone and flesh, her circulatory system is trying to pump blood through stone veins. New muscles are trying to cover the stone bones while some of her skin is growing directly over stone muscles."

"Demesne..." I called her through our link, looking at her face twisted in returning pain. She looked calm and blissful to only painfully grit her teeth in the span of a heartbeat.

"Master..." She answered me with a weak voice full of pain. "I'm losing mana... I'm dying..."

"I won't allow you to die." I sat on the slab where she was lying, next to her head and gently put my hand on her head.

"It hurts..." She cried but there was a determination in her voice. "I don't want to die...!"

"You won't... Don't be afraid, Demesne." I assured her but I felt the burning hot fever that ravaged her barely formed body. "Do you trust me?"

"Always, my Master!" She whispered through her tears.

Ten Praetorians from the company that always protected my wives came closer and held Demesne. She was quiet but I knew she was observing us. I had no idea why she was still in such pain since she was detached from her body but there was no time to figure that out. I closed my eyes and started pouring my mana into her body. She violently jerked, however, she was firmly but gently held by the Praetorians to minimize any self-inflicted wounds. I felt her pain but she endured it without complaining. Irene was healing her as fast as she could but even the Saintess couldn't suppress her pain.

"Whatever you are doing, it's slowly helping, Theon. The stone is being replaced by the living tissue but I can't imagine her pain..." Irene said with compassion.

I just nodded and kept a steady flow of mana. Gradually, I felt Demesne calming down through our link. Somewhere in the background, I heard Freya calming down the others who sensed Demesne's suffering. I felt how Demesne mentally clung to my presence and I felt that there were moments when her loyalty and certainty that I would save her kept her alive. She was still in danger and, somehow, we all felt that if she died right now, she would be gone forever. Normally, she should be able to respawn her core but this situation was anything but normal. I felt her sweat under my hand as heavy droplets seeped between my fingers but her fever was slowly going down. Her mind was calm and I felt her growing admiration slowly strengthening her loyalty. Suddenly, she gasped for air and I opened my eyes when she violently sat up. The Praetorians were unable to hold her and were pushed away. However, my hand was still firmly guiding her head as she leaned forward and vomited blood and pieces of marble.

"Gods..." Irene's face was covered with sweat from the exhaustion. She was standing with both her hands extended towards Demesne with her halo floating over her now golden hair. "I'm going to spend all of myself at this rate! Never before have I had to heal such horrific injuries!"

"Don't worry, Irene." Hestia placed her hand on the Elf's shoulder and started replenishing Irene's mana.

"The ascension is almost done," Luna said with a concerned voice.

"I thought I was going to die..." Demesne cried with a very weak voice as she wiped blood from her face.

Luna took out a warm blanket from her storage space and covered the shivering now-Wolfkin woman. Irene took a deep breath and lowered hands.

"It's all right, for now..." Irene dropped into a chair that Hestia summoned. "Thank you, sister..."

"How are you feeling, Demesne?" I asked as I stood up and took a seat near Irene, offering my wife a cup of juice.

Irene thanked me silently as she slowly sipped the regenerative liquid made of apples, pears, and nectarines from Avalon. In the meantime, Hestia and Luna helped Demesne who was still breathing with ragged gasps.

"Much better, my Lord..." She finally whispered and I looked questioningly at Irene.

"She shouldn't drink or eat anything for now!" The Saintess warned. "Her internal organs are still a mess and she is alive only thanks to the incredible resilience of a Dungeon Core."

"All right... But she is very weak." I glanced at the still scared woman.

"She will be much better in a few hours." Irene wiped her forehead with the back of her slim hand. "Until then, she should refrain from even drinking water."

"I could switch to the Overview, my Lady..." Demesne whispered with a raspy voice.

"Better not!" Hestia finished examining her. "You are highly unstable and we shouldn't take any risks!"

"All right. Don't force yourself, Demesne." I nodded and decided to take us to the Royal suite of the Wolf Manor Dungeon.

The maids were waiting for us with an already prepared bath and change of clothes for Demesne and Irene. Under the care of Irene, Hestia, and ten maids, Demesne disappeared into the bathroom. I sat near the fireplace and leaned back on a cushioned chair.

"What the hell has happened?" I asked no one, staring outside the window.

"Ceallach wanted to ask Demesne about something and, as she switched from the Dungeon Overview to her Core form, she was immediately struck by the pain. I'm shocked she managed to call you." Freya shook her head and took a sip of cold water.

"Ceallach?" I furrowed my brows and the Core in question immediately appeared in front of us. "What the fuck?"

Previously, Ceallach was a green emerald that rested on top of the tree. Now, he was a statue of a tall Human who casually leaned on a much taller tree. His gemstone was nowhere to be seen but he was still radiating the same green hue. He was fairly handsome, wearing a short beard and he had a sword on his belt. However, right next to him was resting an impressive mace and shield.

"Well..." He started awkwardly. "This was, more or less, what I wanted to show Demesne..."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.