A New Bond

"You need to be careful for a while, if you use our chi too much before you're completely healed we could die." Kantan weighed the core's words carefully, leaving him full of questions. Her voice was weaker, slightly strained after he had pulled too hardly on this new power inside of him. Dungeon cores survived on having chi, it was common knowledge that a core with no chi was no core at all. It was how some dungeons would be removed in the case that they became too dangerous to be handled. A kingdom or sect would use powerful artifacts meant to absorb ambient chi to slowly drain a dungeon until it couldn't repair or fix itself. Once it was defenseless, they would just destroy or re-purpose the core for something else.

"I have questions, as I am sure you expected. Lets cover the basics first. Why am I alive when the prowler should have been the end of me?" He remained calm through the uncertainty, focusing on keeping his breathing stable and consistent. The core in his chest was silent for a moment, and he could feel its mental influence in the back of his mind. It wasn't pressing down on him anymore, but it was like he was sharing the same space as it.

"The prowler was the end of you, at least the end of you being human." Her voice was recovering slowly but surely, yet it hadn't regained that bubbly nature he had first encountered.

"What did it do to me? I haven't heard of prowlers being able to turn people into demons." He racked his brain for any lecture that might explain what was going on, but came up empty handed. Kantan didn't know if he was a demon specifically, but there was no getting around his knew body. He found himself mindlessly fidgeting with one of his horns, the novelty of their existence throwing him off.

"Human's typically can't become demon's because they can't survive the process. My knowledge on human cultivation is lacking, but if I had to compare it to something human cores are like immune systems for foreign chi. Demonic essence at its core functions differently than most expect. I have heard humans equate it to a plague, something that should be avoided at all costs lest it kills you. While it can be considered a plague for humans, most other living entities are not killed as a result of exposure. They are simply changed. Human cores fight against this change, but demonic essence inherently changes just about everything it comes into contact with. Human cores are weak structurally, and cannot sustain the change without collapsing." Kantan could feel the energy swirling through his body, following his will as he practiced the clan's cultivation technique. It unsettled him to think that it was demonic chi moving through his channels.

"So, why didn't I …" The realization hit him like a truck, "My core was broken, so it couldn't fight off the demonic chi, could it." His hand curled into a fist as he remembered why he was here in the first place. The anger began to boil within him, but the pain in his chest reminded him to remain calm. "Is there no end to the problems that bastard will cause me?" He had raised his voice without thinking about it, catching himself off guard.

"I don't know what you are talking about. Do you mean the man who carried you in here? He was so nice though, even offered you too me. Not many people try to give me gifts you know." The absurdity of her words left him stunned for a second. "I was just going to eat you like I would anyone else, but I had a better idea. I want to explore, I'm tired of not going anywhere. When I saw that your core was broken, I figured I could take its place! Now here we are."

Her excited voice unsettled him, the context of her words a mismatch for her tone. "So, if I am understanding everything correctly, you want to leave the dungeon and explore the outside world. This led you to alter my body and replace my core, all without my permission. Does that sound right to you?"

He could feel her mind working, a hint of confusion about his words. It was an interesting sensation, almost as if he was confused himself yet it felt less full. "I just did what I would with any of my other creations. I sense some anger about my words though, I don't understand. When that weakling gave you to me, I didn't think there were any rules to it."

Kantan found him self chuckling at the insanity of it all. "Well first things first, just because someone offers you something, does not mean it is theirs to begin with. Secondly, why did you have to change how I look? Were going to get attacked on sight regardless of how I got here." He shook his head and got into a standing position. While standing up he wobbled slightly, noticing that he was taller than he remembered. So much had changed so quickly, almost every part of him was different in some way. Could he even consider himself the same person? Not only had his physical appearance changed, but his Soul had been replaced by that of a demonic dungeon core.

"Now I may not have the best understanding of human society, but if someone gives you something than it is yours. As for how you look, that was not my fault. You just kept on pulling in the ambient demonic essence I created." Her voice was almost indignant, as if he had offended her. "My essence only does what it is supposed to, no different than fire or air would. Demonic essence carries a trans-formative effect, if you didn't want to look that way you should have absorbed some other essence type."

"My core was broken, its not like I could control what it did." Kantan thumbed one of his horns absently as he considered his situation. "If I go back to my clan, I can tell them what happened. Maybe it goes my way and that stone soul gets imprisoned or executed, or maybe I get killed before I reach the front gate."

"I've heard talking to oneself is considered odd, though I am not anyone to judge. Until today I've only ever spoken to myself." Kantan felt the anger momentarily surge, but he clamped down on it. He tempered his anger with the fact that she had been alone for untold centuries. His clan had found this dungeon already formed and active, setting up their town around it in order to gather its riches. "Now that I have you, I always have someone to talk to. Isn't that great! I think it is."

Her voice almost reminded him of a child's voice, uncharacteristically optimistic and hopeful. It brought a smile to the corners of his mouth, and he couldn't help but feel slightly better. A part of him was glad that the new voice in his head wasn't some crazy killing machine like the creatures she had created.

"So, based on things we can control right now we have a few options." He started, bringing a hand up to count on his fingers. "We can go back to my clan and try to get everything sorted. My grandfather is an elder there, so he should be able to help. Our second option is to go somewhere else, and try to fix the way that I look."

The core's influence in his mind shifted in thought, "I don't think there is anything wrong with the way you look. Of the demon's I have seen, you have just the right amount of horns. Some end up with too many you know? I've personally made one with so many horns that it could only roll around. It wasn't the most effective demon I've made, though I loved it just as much as my others. Though .."

Kantan waved his hand to stop her, the excitement in her voice continuing to spiral out of control. "I appreciate the sentiment, but outside of your dungeon demons are hunted religiously. There are literal religions that hunt demons across the world just for existing." He sighed in resignation, the new core in his chest was not going to understand the way humans would react to him. "Lets just say that in all of the modern history I am aware of, there has never been a human with demonic essence."

Her voice grew quiet, "Oh, I guess I could see how that changes things. Do you think that will keep us from exploring?" She sounded hopeful that it wouldn't, but Kantan shook his head. "Well then what do we need to do to not die when we visit your clan?"

He thought for a while before settling on the only option he could think of. "If we can get to my grandfather before anyone catches us, he'll at least hear us out. My…." He took a deep breath as he steeled himself for the topic. "My parents were killed by demon's on a hunt when I was young so I doubt he will be okay with this, but he won't kill us outright." He cycled some of his power to his hand, seeing the dark wisps of shadow begin to permeate his skin. His grandfather wouldn't kill him right away, at least he thought he wouldn't.