Chapter 240: Within the Heart of the Aemos(2)

"Schnick. Scnick." With two quick swings of his Skysteel blade, Kothar cut the purple crystal free of the web of muscle in which it was suspended. 

The crystal fell to the ground, the metal housing around it sinking into the muscle below. 

[That wasn't so bad, was it.] Silane said, they didn't seem to be falling and there had been no reaction to the loss of the crystal.

[I'll pick it up by the metal around it, it doesn't seem to be as full of Spatial Mana as the crystal.] Kothar said, reaching down to grip the metal prongs that had stuck out and allowed the crystal to attach to the heart muscle.

Kothar gripped each side tightly, but the crystal wouldn't budge at all, he looked closer, and realized that the flesh was rapidly growing around the metal, holding it to the floor. 

Kothar let go of one side, and sliced off the muscle again, pulling the crystal free. Clutched tightly in both of his hands, Kothar could feel his Spatial Mana Core rapidly drinking up the mana that was within the metal around the crystal, growing by the second.

[Silane, I can't hold onto this for long, or my mana core will explode!] Kothar knew that while he had some room for his mana core to grow, his body wouldn't be able to contain it if it grew too powerful.

The reason it was so important to meditate and pull mana into one's core from the surroundings was that it gave the body a chance to acclimate to the elemental mana, and its resistance to the mana would improve as this happened.

This was a gradual process, and the reason why few, except the most reckless and desperate, would not utilize the rich mana found within Mana Crystal to cultivate their mana cores.

[Try bringing the Spatial Artifact near to it, it resonated with it, didn't it?] Silane said, before adding, a little apprehensive. [Not while you're wearing it though! Be careful, Kothar.] 

[I wouldn't be so reckless. Of course I'd take it off first.] Kothar said, a little sore about how reckless Silane thought he was, knowing she was mostly right. 

[I'm not in a trance anymore.] Kothar sounded disgruntled, he unclasped his breastplate, allowing to drop to the ground, and then pulled down the top of his Multiplanar Equipment,

Revealing the Spatial Necklace that he had crafted on Atla.

He undid the clasp, the heavy square links of the chain heavy in his hands, and placed the enormous crystal back on the ground, the muscle rapidly growing around the metal as it touched it again.

Kothar brought the Spatial Artifact near the crystal, and immediately the crystal reacting, blazing with a brilliant purple light.

[Let it go, Kothar!] Silane yelled out, and Kothar opened his hand, letting the necklace fall onto the crystal.

The Artifact didn't fall to the ground as expected, instead, the artifact began to hover in midair, the blazing purple light from the crystal flooding toward the diamond shaped black stone.

The space around the artifact began to ripple and curve, tiny cracks forming in the air, the flesh of the heart that tried to grow around the crystal rupturing and disappearing within the tiny cracks that led to the void. 

"****, ****, ****!" Kothar swore, backing away, his back slamming into the thick walls that obstructed the crystal, if he got caught up in the spatial fluctuations, he would either be pulled and twisted into spaghetti, or his Spatial Core might collapse, or be pulled into the convergence of Spatial Mana. 

"**** this!" Kothar yelled, all thoughts of not damaging the ship too much aside, only self preservation on his mind, his Plasma Blade roaring into life, and tearing though the sheets of heart muscle,  the air filled with smoke from the burning flesh. 

Kothar ran forward, wildly hacking and slashing, his artifact forgotten behind him, running down the steep slope of the tunnel. 

Gouts of blood started to pour off the flesh torn by the complete tearing and bending of space around the artifact and crystal, flooding down the tunnel.

Kothar slipped as he was running, falling back and then sliding down the tunnel along with a torrent of blood, the artifact still hovering in the air, holding the crystal nearby. 

Kothar looked back as he slid down the tunnel, worried he would lose the artifact as well as the massive benefits it gave to his Spatial Magic.

[Keep going Kothar! That artifact is only trouble, and besides, it returned to you even after Krieg stole it!] Silane yelled, and Kothar turned away, slicing at the obstructions in the tunnel that came flying at him as he slid down. 

It had taken Kothar almost a quarter of an hour to get to the crystal, and he had slid all the way down to the bottom of the tunnel in mere moments.

Kothar stumbled to his feet, ankle deep in the spilled blood from the damage to the heart of the Aemos, more blood flowing down the tunnel behind him.

The thumping that had been echoing all around Kothar raised in volume, the heart thumping louder and harder.

The walls around Kothar started to convulse, and the floor beneath Kothar started to shake.

Kothar ran for his life, running past the destroyed remnants of the doors that he had cut open to get to the crystal. 

[Oh no.] Silane said, as Kothar ran out of the hall and out into the circular hallway that he had portalled all along. 

All around them were guards outfitted similarly to Entuxa and Exena, their slain bodies still laying on the ground where Kothar had left them.

They all turned to Kothar simultaneously, their faces filled with fury, for although their leader didn't value their lives whatsoever, the Aemos were fiercely loyal to one another. 

"Get him!"

"He must be the one who killed them!"

"For our Supreme Ruler, and for all Aemos!"

The guards yelled, swinging their staffs off their backs and into their hands, stepping toward Kothar.