Chapter 289: Wading Past Death

I hissed impatiently, observing the ongoing struggle from behind a protective line of stones. The blasphemers had done the impossible; they had slowed the faithful’s advance. Another brave Coreless forged ahead, building a path of high stones on the floor to overcome the null-water until the horrible liquid’s touch became too much. He pulled back, lungs heaving agonized breaths, and one of his fellows replaced him.

The damage the null-water had done to his flesh would eventually heal, but something about it made the restorative effects of the [Little Guardian’s Focus]es slow down to a crawl - and, even worse, the Great Core’s faithful had many times more mana within their flesh than they had once possessed.

The null-water was dangerous to them; not in the same immediately fatal way that it was to me, but enough to cause problems.

My disciples, especially, couldn’t dare get too close.

“I really want to get my hands on whoever had the bright idea to carve a mine through an area so infested with null-water,” the Unrepentant One grumbled, his fingers flexing sharply in [agitation]. “I just want to have a simple conversation.”

“It’ll be fine,” the-female-who-was-not-Needle jabbered something back, seeming significantly less bothered. I could feel the faith radiating off of her, the certitude that even null-water could only delay the Great Core’s victory.

And it was true. Even as I watched, the Great Core’s Coreless advanced step by step, laboriously building their way through a flood of null-water that would have instantly destroyed any but the Coreless. Once again, I was overcome with emotion at the sight; at the confirmation of the Great Core’s inevitable victory in all things. Any other Core would have been stymied, the bad-things they created unable to continue.

But that fate was for Lesser Cores. The Greatest of Cores would always continue on. And so, as I held watch and hissed in quiet approval, the null-water was slowly defeated. The faithful worked in teams, the vast majority obtaining stones from the surrounding tunnel walls, while a chosen few would brave the null-water to place them. When the touch of the null-water became too much, those who placed the stones would fall back to heal, replaced by the first in the line of those who had been gathering stone.

Occasionally, one faithful or another slipped on the stones that formed the null-water crossing, dipping more heavily into the null-water with a [horrified] scream - but, each time, they protected their [Little Guardian’s Totem], their link to eventual recovery, and survived.

Like that, the faithful pressed forward in the smallest of slithers, moving bit by bit. Within the connections I held to their [Little Guardian’s Totem]s, I witnessed the [agony] of the null-water’s touch - but I also observed the way that it only made their [determination] sharper, like fangs filed to a deadly point.

The blasphemers had done their best, but it was not enough. The faithful were still coming; even null-water could never be enough.

Satisfied with our advance, I let myself fall into a different connection, my mental self slithering along the invisible mind-tunnels that led deeper into the tunnels of the physical world, where the Grateful One and the newest of the Great Core’s tiny Coreless awaited our approach.

I slid into my disciple’s skin, feeling the familiar discomfort that came with my thoughts being forced to occupy the body of the two-legged Coreless. It wasn’t so bad as controlling my Coreless-self, that reanimated abomination of a former blasphemer; at least there was some level of separation, since I wasn’t in charge of what the two-legged body actually did.

But it still felt wrong. I constantly reminded myself that, despite an inferior form, the Great Core’s Coreless were still blessed by its light, and thus their form was elevated beyond any other two-legged creature.

It was small comfort, but enough to make things bearable.

I quickly found myself looking around, vision tracking along with the Grateful One’s own. My disciple was surrounded by a large number of tiny Coreless, a dead blasphemer tucked away in the corner of the small-cavern, hidden behind a grouping of plant-flesh. I noticed that, occasionally, the tiny Coreless’ eyes were drawn to the corpse. Each time they were, a torrent of [horror] and [fear] found its way through the connections I held to the [Little Guardian’s Totem]s hanging from their small necks.

To be so young and small, and yet already so averse to those that turned against the Great Core…how discerning. I could only give a mental hiss of approval, wishing that I could pull myself across the distance and provide the praise that these new tiny Coreless deserved. A few of them even shed bits of fluid, particularly those splashed with the lifeblood of the dead blasphemer. They likely thought they were forever tainted, but I knew they were anything but.

They were anointed for greatness, already bathed in the blood of the faithful’s enemies in their first moments under the Great Core’s light.

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Still, I sent a command to the plant-flesh near the blasphemer’s corpse, causing them to curl around the body and pull it out of sight, after which it was torn to small pieces and hidden away. There was no reason to force the tiny Coreless to take in the sight of a blasphemer for any longer than necessary.

“It’s okay,” the Grateful One hissed quietly, in a way that I thought was supposed to be comforting. The motions of our shared mouth and tongue felt strange, even as she continued to make noises at the distraught little Coreless. “I have a friend who’s controlling the plants. He’s the one that made them grow so quickly, and he’ll make sure we’re all safe until your parents get here. I’m sure that he’d love to meet you all; we call him the Little Guardian and he’s…”

I started to tune the incomprehensible sounds out, focusing instead on the plant-flesh that defended the small-cavern. As effectively as the faithful were making their way past the encroaching null-water, I knew that it was still slowing us down enough to put the Grateful One and the tiny Coreless in danger. Not because the Grateful One was incapable of holding her own against the Great Core’s enemies, but because she would be forced to choose between defending the tiny Coreless and fighting effectively - and, like a mother protecting offspring hidden within her nest, she would be forced to intentionally take blows to keep them from her charges.

[Verdure Parasite] set the plant-flesh in the area towards growing faster, with a particular focus on the brambles and vines that guarded the moving-wall leading into the small-cavern. I forced ever-larger masses to grow in front of it, blocking the moving-wall with as much force and weight as I possibly could in the time available.

Then, I went even further - I forced plant-flesh through the gaps in the moving-wall, urging it to grow into an inaccessible tangle in the tunnel outside. [Verdure Parasite]pushed that growth to new heights as I stole ever more growth from all plant-flesh within reach, storing it away within the new tangle-tunnel.

It would be difficult to make a path out when the blasphemers were finished with, but I decided that it was worth the trouble. The tiny Coreless, already so promising in their future as followers of the Great Core, needed to be protected.

With a few last mental commands to the plant-flesh protecting them, I pulled myself back to my body, more eager than ever to break through the null-water that slowed us.

I was greeted by gratifying progress; the faithful had not been idle in my absence. If anything, their speed had only increased, as they grew accustomed to the pain of the null-water and developed a more efficient method of replacing injured faithful with ones that had already been healed. It was fortunate that we’d come in such large numbers, because that was the only thing that was allowing them time to recover from the null-water’s enervating touch before it was time for them to take their place at the front again - if anything, the null-water was devouring their recovered flesh more quickly than it had at the beginning, as if the [Little Guardian’s Focus]es rebuilding them made the faithful even more vulnerable to the null-water than before.

And yet, moment by moment, the [determination] of the faithful increased. I could hear mutterings among them - no doubt praises to the Great Core, which made all things possible before its faithful.

“...I feel remade,” one of the first ones that had fallen into the null-water said, now fully recovered from his trials. “Stronger than before. It’s like my old flesh was scoured away, only for our Little Guardian to replace it with something better.”

A few of the Coreless now, in their turns to advance our approach, did more than place a passage high above the null-water. They embraced the [agony] of its touch, allowing far more of the dangerous liquid to touch them before retreating. Their eyes were filled with a dangerous [determination] and [fervor], strong enough that I could almost sense it even without the connection I held to them.

“Today, we will be reborn,” another said, her eyes wide as she dipped a hand into the null-water. “Our children will never have to fear again.”

“...these people really are fucking insane sometimes,” the Unrepentant One mumured something to Will beside him, [disconcerted] and a little [amazed]. I hissed at him lightly, glad to see that the least faithful of my disciples was confronted with the growing faith of his fellow Coreless. Perhaps their own faith would spur his onwards.

I watched in fascination as the faithful reforged themselves again and again; each time a Coreless finished their turn at the front of the line placing stones, they began to douse themselves in null-water, enduring the [agony] of their flesh being unmade. The actions of the faithful stoked one another; soon enough, even those who were [hesitant] stepped forward with a zealous light in their eyes. It was enough that I wished I could join them, though I knew that I would simply dissolve rather than be merely ravaged.

With each moment, I felt my sense of self start to stretch, like a seed preparing to blossom. It was the same feeling that I’d felt before, each time I’d gathered the attention and faith of the Coreless en masse, when I’d given them food and shelter and protection, but coming close to some sort of point of no return. The sensation held, growing, ready to slither over a precipice that it had only touched once before.

Then, little by little, the reborn flesh of the faithful started to glow with an inner light. Their healing accelerated, moving even faster than before, the restoration of my [Little Guardian’s Focus]es joined by something new.

“...are they…” From my place upon her shoulder, I heard not-Needle gasp. “They’re all becoming mana-enhanced.”

The Coreless moved faster, throwing themselves against the problem of the null-water with [solemn determination] despite the persistent [agony] I could sense through our connection. If anything, they were weaker to the null-water than ever before; their flesh dissolved faster, forcing them to return to safety rather than linger within its touch. Despite that, they continued in their journey, placing stone after stone - unmade, reborn, unmade again. Each time, they were unmade faster. Each time, they were remade more quickly.

Until, finally, we reached its end - where a hole in the ceiling formed a waterfall of null-water that flowed in our direction. We worked our way past it, giving it as wide a berth as we could, and made it to safety.

The seed within my self started to bloom, stretching out for freedom. It stopped right at the edge, only a single slither away from something greater.

A change that I had been waiting for. I wasn’t there yet, but I was close. The Great Core willing, I would find out what it meant some day soon.