[Kara] Chapter 17: Family Trouble (Patreon)

“So, uh, what happened while I was gone?” Kara asked as she looked the bear cub once over.

Well, to call him a bear cub now was a stretch. He was massive— almost as large as his mother had been. If he stood on his hind legs, he’d stand as tall as any troll in the city. Not only that, he had two heads now too. Even if he still seemed cute, he had also become terrifying.

“It’s like Angel aged ten years in only a few hours.”

Shaking her head, Kara turned to face Zlo’tan who was standing to the side of the room. Angel had brought her back into the tent to have him explain what happened. But as usual, the minotaur had been naked. So it took him a minute to fumble for his clothes.

“This one understands that it must be quite jarring of a change. But this one can assure you that this is normal when monsters undergo an evolution.”

“So he evolved his monstersoul?” Kara stared at Angel in awe. He nodded back at her, and she took his paws. “That’s amazing! You’re so amazing, Angel! How did you do it?”

He settled back down, before gesturing at the minotaur kneeling down in the middle of the room. Zlo’tan lowered his head modestly.

“This one cannot take credit for the evolution. In fact, this one owes a debt of gratitude to Angel. For this one would not have been able to expand his understanding of the properties of the soulrock as much as he did without the utlas bear’s help.”

“I don’t get it,” Kara said as she furrowed her brows. “What happened? Was his evolution related to the soulrock?”

“That is correct,” the minotaur said as he picked up the staff. “It was only thanks to the soulrock that this evolution was possible.”

He ran his fingers over the crystal at the tip. It had already been cracked before, but it was transparent now, losing its crimson gleam. Kara frowned as she inspected it.

“That, uh, explains nothing.”

Zlo’tan shook his head. “This one will first have to explain what is a soulrock before this one can give a proper explanation of the events that occurred.”

“Right…” Kara pursed her lips at him. “So what is a soulrock?”

“As far as this one has come to understand, a soulrock is a stone that has been imbued with the properties of a person’s soul,” he started.

“And a soul is…?”

“That which is the essence of a person’s core.”

Kara scratched the back of her head, trying to understand what he meant. “You mean like a manacore? So is the soul just mana?”

“It is difficult to explain for this one as he is still a beginner in the ways of the soul, but it is not mana.” Zlo’tan rubbed a hand on his chin as she eyed him. “From what this one has been able to understand, a core is the embodiment of the soul’s power, and it exists within every living being in Xantos.”

“Every single living being?” She blinked.

The minotaur nodded and spoke in a lecturing tone. “Indeed. For demimonsters such as this one, they are attuned with nature, hence why they are capable of storing mana within their core. That is why it is called a ‘manacore’. Meanwhile, humans have no capacity to carry mana, so their cores are inert. But their core is still there, otherwise they would not be alive.”

“Right…” Kara hesitated, uncertain if she was fully following. “What about monsters?”

“As for monsters… this one believes there is no distinction between a core and a soul for monsters. After all, they are beings made entirely of mana. For them, cores and souls are one in the same. That is why monsters can undergo such drastic evolutions when their soul— or their core— evolves.”

Kara glanced at Angel. “And that’s why he has two heads now all of a sudden? Because of his evolution?”

“That is correct,” Zlo’tan said simply. Then he looked down at himself. “Whereas for demimonsters such as this one, advancing the manacore offers very little significant change to their physical appearances. And Humans have, thanks to He Who Stole Magic From The Gods, obtained a way to store and manipulate mana through the System’s guidance without a use of their core.”

His eyes flickered as he craned his neck back.

“All except for one.”

And while Kara herself certainly counted as someone who didn’t need the System’s power, she immediately knew who he was talking about. And it wasn’t her.

“The Soulmaster, right.”

“This one still does not understand how the Soulmaster’s magicks work,” the minotaur continued, huffing in disappointment. “However, upon inspecting the soulrock, this one postulated that it must have been imbued with a small piece of the Soulmaster’s soul. And that Angel must have attuned himself to that piece through some unknown means.”

“Wait, so you’re saying Angel absorbed a piece of the Soulmaster?” Kara asked, wide-eyed.

The minotaur shook his head at her. “Attunement is distinct from absorption. By attuning with it, Angel had originally altered the essence of his monstersoul so that it is more alike to a manacore, which led to his Awakening. That is why he is capable of deviating from the path of an ordinary utlas bear’s evolution— that is why he is capable of casting magic.”

“Woah…” She turned to Angel in amazement. “I knew you were amazing, but that’s even more amazing than I thought! You’re literally unique!”

The bear nodded proudly with both his heads. Zlo’tan cleared his throat, drawing Kara’s attention back to him.

“However, that is only in regards to Angel’s Awakening. His current evolution was achieved through different means.”

“Uh, what kind of means?” Kara blinked.

“Ordinarily, monsters evolve through absorbing the mana of another monster they kill. But manacores advance in tier through expanding its capacity— pushing oneself to their limit. This one, however, concluded that Angel had yet to finish his attunement to the soulrock, for his monstersoul did not demonstrate enough traits of a manacore. That is why this one worked with Angel to finish the attunement. Which resulted in the expansion of the capacity of his monstersoul’s ability to store mana.”

Zlo’tan smiled as he gestured at Angel. The bear nodded eagerly, and Kara glanced between the both of them. She looked down at the now inert soulrock, before tapping its transparent surface.

“And that’s why the soulrock is now… like this?”

“Indeed,” the minotaur said. “Now it is as useless as the core of a human.”

Kara took a step back, feigning offense. “Rude.”

“This one apologizes if he has offended you.” Zlo’tan bowed his head at her.

And she waved a hand off dismissively. “Well, I wasn’t actually upset. But still… I think I understand it now.”

As far as she could tell, Angel’s soul had essentially become more like that of a demimonster’s soul through the soulrock. However, since he was still a monster, he still underwent an evolution when his manacore… or pseudo-manacore was expanded.

“Well, even if you’re bigger now and your soul is different, you’re still my Angel,” Kara said as she turned to him. She gave him a hug, and he licked her back. “I’m glad to see your efforts over the last week have paid off.”

He made a noise of approval, before he drew back. She watched him as he stood up straight and looked like he was about to cast a spell.

“Oh, you want to show me your new abilities?” She glanced over at the minotaur. “In here?”

Zlo’tan did not seem to mind. “This one is also interested in seeing how Angel’s magic has improved due to this special evolution.”

“Well, alright then. Show me what you’ve got, Angel!” Kara cheered the bear on.

He grinned confidently, seeing both of them offer him their support. He grabbed his staff as the stone ground beneath his feet began to tremble. The flaps of the tent shook. Both Kara and Zlo’tan leaned forward in anticipation for what was going to come next.

And then a loud rumbling echoed throughout the room. The two onlookers blinked. Angel froze. He looked down at himself, before clutching his stomach as it groaned. He sheepishly shrank back and lowered the staff.

“You’re too hungry to cast a spell, huh?” Kara chuckled as he averted his gaze.

The minotaur let out a snort and settled back down. “This one believes that Angel has been so focused on reaching his evolution that he has not had a meal all day.”

Kara smiled and took the bear by the paws. She led him towards the exit of the tent. “That’s so unlike you. But fine, I’ll get you something to eat, don’t worry. You’ve earned it after all your hard work.”

Angel brightened at that. He made a humming sound as he followed her. But she halted right before leaving. She glanced over her shoulder towards the minotaur who had knelt back down to the ground.

“Thanks for your help, Zlo’tan,” she said as she nodded at him.

He smiled back at her. “This one should be the one thanking you. After all, this one has found a breakthrough in his understanding of the soul with the help of the soulrock.”

“Oh, how so?” Kara asked, eyeing him curiously.

“This one now understands that the soul is adaptable,” he explained. “That it can be altered. But most importantly, that the Soulmaster’s secrets to magic comes from the advancements he made to his own soul. While this one may be old, perhaps this one would be able to one day learn to alter his own soul before he passes on.”

Kara furrowed her brows at that. She wondered if she could further her understanding of her own dragonsoul if she learned this soul magic that Zlo’tan was talking about. But that was a question for another time.

“Well, I wish you good luck with that!” She waved at him as she started out of the tent with Angel in tow, searching for a place to eat.

—--

As Kara had feared, Angel’s appetite had grown with him after his evolution. She brought him to three different restaurants— all of which they were kicked out, due to him emptying their kitchens. Usually, she wouldn’t have indulged him to such an extent. Because she was afraid he would get too fat.

But now, with his size, she was afraid that he was still undereating even after everything he had. Fortunately though, it appeared he was satiated after the third restaurant, so they returned back to the innsmith. He could barely even walk when they reached the front door. Not only was it probably past midnight so he was sleepy, he also looked like was going to pass out into a food coma due to overeating.

“Come now, you can fall asleep in the bed,” Kara said as she helped him through the doorway.

He made a satisfied sound, before smiling back at her with both his heads. She returned the look to him.

“You deserved it today. But let’s not get too used to it. We are running a little low on funds.”

Kara took one step into the room, then paused. She heard the subtle sound of shifting. Her eyes narrowed as she saw a figure trying to hide in the darkness of the inn. Angel wrinkled his nose. He noticed the intruder too. The two of them immediately tensed up.

Was it an orc trying to cause trouble for Arjin again? Kara didn’t know.

She simply moved in unison with Angel, separating as they got ready for battle. The bear aimed his staff, and she brought up a flaming hand. But before they could attack, there was a squeal. And they immediately paused as the golden fire lit up the room, revealing who it was.

“Arjin?” Kara blinked as she stared down at the dark elf woman. “What are you doing here?”

Angel tilted his head quizzically, before lowering his staff. Arjin backed up and knocked over a chair, before falling to the ground. She stared up at the two of them practically flanking her.

“I-I…” Arjin started.

And Dammir bounded out of the back of the innsmith. “What is this ruckus going on at this hour? Ye better have a good reason—”

He paused when he saw Kara and Angel standing there. The three of them exchanged a glance, before looking down at the dark elf woman. She had a small bag slung over her shoulder, holding all her belongings.

“Arjin…” Damir’s eyes went wide. “What were ye trynna…?”

And the dark elf woman lowered her head. “I-I’m leaving, Mr Dammir. I’m sorry.”

—--

“You can go to bed first, Angel,” Kara said as she patted the bear. “I have to deal with this.”

Angel yawned in response, before ascending up the stairs to their room. When he was gone, Kara looked over at the two figures standing in the middle of the common room. Arjin kept her gaze down as Dammir pointed accusingly at her.

“What did ye think ye were trynna do— leavin’ in the middle of the night without saying a word?”

“I-I’m sorry, Mr Dammir. But I have to go.” She fought back tears as she spoke almost resolutely.

“That makes no sense!” the dwarf practically snapped. “Why do ye keep sayin’ ye hafta leave?”

Kara approached the two of them from the side. She pursed her lips, overhearing their conversation.

“Because…” Arjin closed her eyes. “Because I’m going to keep causing you trouble. I overheard what happened earlier this evening— that your other guests aren’t going to be staying here anymore because they’re scared the orcs might come back for me.”

That surprised Kara. She hadn’t heard that. But she had been out all night, so she must have missed it. However, Dammir didn’t seem like he even cared about it.

Arjin shook her head as she continued, “I’ve done nothing but brought problems to you ever since I arrived. And I don’t want to do that anymore.”

Dammir stared at her in disbelief. He looked like he wanted to tear his beard out. But he steeled himself. “Then where do ye think ye will go? Not everyone is goin’ ta be as kind as me— most innkeepers will kick ye out if you miss even a single night’s payment!”

Arjin took in a deep breath, even as her lips continued to quiver.

“Back to my family,” she said, putting on a brave face.

“...what?” The dwarf couldn’t even bring himself to yell anymore. He tried to work his jaw. But he failed to even speak.

The dark elf woman raised her head as the facade of strength she held together broke, and tears began to stream down her cheeks. “I will tell them that I’ve quit my job as a prostitute. And I will beg them to take me back in— so I don’t have to burden you any more.”

Dammir crossed his burly arms across his chest. “And if they don’t take ye in? ‘Cause they won’t. They already kicked ye out.”

“Then I will find some brothel to work at… do what I do best,” Arjin replied as her shoulders sagged weakly.

The dwarf stared at her. He ground his teeth together, before shaking his head. “Ye really are a worthless fool. Ye know what? Yer family was right. Ye truly are a disappointment—”

His lips moved, and Kara stopped him. She placed a hand on his shoulder as she met his gaze.

“Insulting Arjin won’t achieve anything, Dammir,” Kara said as she looked up. “Let me talk to her.”

The dwarf scoffed and spun around. He started back into the forge section of the innsmith. “Bah! As if yer gonna be able ta talk any sense inta her. I’ve tried my best, and still nothing…”

Kara watched him go as he grumbled and cursed under his breath. Arjin winced at that, before sitting down on a stone chair.

“T-this is the first time Mr Dammir… has ever insulted me before,” she whispered, hugging herself. “He always yells at me, but he has never called me worthless. He has never called me… a disappointment”

“I’m not going to defend him. But do you know why he did that, Arjin?” Kara said as she pulled up a chair next to the dark elf woman.

Arjin raised her head apprehensively. “Why?”

Kara shrugged as she sat down. “Because you hurt him. That’s why. And he doesn’t know how to feel about that. So he hurt you back.”

“W-what?” The dark elf woman wore a quizzical look on her face.

“To him, it’s almost like self-defense.” Kara tapped a finger on her chin. “Imagine how he feels? He took you in when your family cast you out. But now, you’re leaving him for them. After everything he has done for you. It’s almost like you betrayed him. At least, that’s probably how he perceives it.”

“But I was—” Arjin opened her mouth. “I only wanted to…”

She trailed off as her arms limply fell to her side. Closing her eyes, she took in a few sharp breaths. And she dug her nails into her lap.

“I really am pathetic, aren’t I? I was just trying to help him out, and I hurt him. I can’t do anything for anyone. And I can’t even fend for myself. What am I even good for?”

Kara stared at the other woman, and she didn’t say a thing. She remained silent as all she did for now was listen.

“I’m so… weak,” Arjin said exasperatedly. “I don’t understand it. Even though my family comes from a lineage of powerful warriors, I can’t do anything. All I can do is sell my body for coins. All I can do is sell myself. But I can’t even do that right!”

She raised her voice for the first time since Kara had met her. But her anger was directed at no one but herself. Tears dripped down onto her knuckles as she let out a few shallow breaths. Neither woman said anything for what felt like an eternity, until Arjin seemed to calm down a little bit.

Finally, Kara raised her head and spoke up once again.

“You say that, Arjin, but you know, the strongest woman I ever knew was a prostitute just like you.”

“What?” Arjin blinked and raised her head.

Kara’s eyes flickered as she recalled her mother’s shouts and screams. She still remembered the shattering of plates, and the throwing of glass cups.

“Well, she was also the nastiest woman I have ever known,” Kara quickly added.

But that anger— that hardheadedness— wasn’t always targeted to her either. After all, not all customers would always pay up at the end of the hour. And Kara remembered seeing the way her mother stood her ground defiantly. Even against men who were twice her weight.

“However, my point is, I wouldn’t call her weak by any means.”

“That’s—” Arjin stared at Kara with round eyes. For a moment, she almost looked awed by it. But then she gritted her teeth and looked down at herself. “That’s good for her. But I’m not like that woman, Ms Kara. I am…”

Arjin hesitated, biting her lower lip. And then she closed her eyes.

“I am me.”

Kara saw the defeated look on the dark elf woman’s face. And she agreed, “You’re right. You are you. You’re not a nasty person at all, Arjin.”

“That’s not what I meant, Ms Kara,” Arjin said, glancing up. “I was talking about how I can’t do anything.”

“And who says you can’t do anything?” Kara asked with a raised brow.

“Mr Dammir—”

“Doesn’t count. We already went over that, remember?”

Arjin pursed her lips. “R-right.”

She fidgeted in her seat, before she looked down at the palm of her hand.

“My mother. My father. Not my brother— he has never said anything bad about me, but he doesn’t talk to me either. And everyone else in my extended family. They all think of me as a disappointment. They are ashamed of me. Because I can’t swing a sword. Because I cannot fight like my brother. Because I am not the warrior they want me to be.”

“And you want to go back to them,” Kara said flatly. “Even though they despise you— even though they want nothing to do with you. You still want to be accepted by them.”

Arjin’s gaze darkened. “Because I have nothing else.”

And Kara shook her head. “But you could have something else. The fact that you have nothing else is the problem, too. Look— I also have an estranged relationship with my family.”

That made Arjin raise her head. “You… do?”

“Maybe not to the extent of your estranged relationship with your family.” Kara waved a hand dismissively. “But my dad left my mom before I was born, and because of that, she always hated me. Because she thought I was the reason why he left her.”

And perhaps that might have held a hint of truth. After all, Kara’s conception had been an accident. She was never even planned by her parents.

It hurt a little bit, even until now. To know that she was never wanted. To know that she was never even given a chance before she was born. Especially by the people who should have loved her the most.

To her as a child, who had nothing else, it felt like the world itself was against her. That there was no other meaning to life. That she was worthless.

Kara shook her head and turned to the dark elf woman. “And speaking from my own experience, you can’t return to your family right now. Not as you are. Not when you still have nothing else, like you said.”

“But… who else will take me back?” Arjin asked, wiping away the tears on her cheeks. “I made even Mr Dammir angry at me. I am worthless—”

And Kara spoke up, interrupting her. “Which proves your family right. However, you don’t want that, do you?”

The dark elf woman blinked. “I— what?”

It startled her. She didn’t expect Kara to say that. Even though it was kind of cruel, it was also true in a sense.

“So you also think I’m worthless, Ms Kara?” Arjin said as she lowered her head.

“No,” Kara said simply. “I’m not calling you worthless. But you think you are worthless. And that’s all that matters, sometimes.”

Arjin looked confused. “W-what do you mean by that?”

Kara shrugged in response. “If you don’t even have any sense of self-worth, how are you going to defend yourself when others try to tear you down?”

“But…” Arjin drew her lips into a thin line. “How am I supposed to do that?”

“It’s simple—” Kara wagged a finger in response. “Build a new life where you’re happy.”

The dark elf woman gaped at that. “...what?”

It was a look of disbelief that clearly conveyed, ‘You can’t be serious, right?’ even without saying it. Because what Kara said was so basic, everyone in any world would know to do that. The problem was the actual execution of that goal.

“Look, I know it is more difficult than it sounds, but that’s what you have to do. That’s the promise I made myself when I finally decided to leave my mom behind. It was a difficult decision. However, I knew I had to do it.”

Arjin stared at the blonde woman uncertainly. Clearly unsure where the latter was going with this.

So Kara explained, “When I left my mom, I told myself I’d only return once I made a new life for myself. One where I wouldn’t ever need her again. Because I knew that if I came back before I accomplished anything I’d still be nothing without her. I would still be the same person as I was before I left.”

She rose to her feet as she placed a hand on her chest, and Arjin just listened.

“So I promised myself I would never come back. Not until I had a new life. Not until I had new friends. Not until I wasn’t alone any longer. Because then she wouldn’t be all that I have. After all, if I have something more, her words wouldn’t hurt me as much as they do, would they?”

“That’s… true,” Arjin whispered as she looked like she was wincing from a memory.

“But if my mom was all that I had, then every insult she spews is like a knife to the heart,” Kara continued. “That’s why I had to build a new life. That’s why you have to leave your family behind to do the same thing.”

The dark elf woman shifted where she sat when she heard that. It looked like she had questions. But she didn’t quite know how to phrase them. She opened her mouth, and Kara pointed at her.

“And no— you haven’t left your family behind. They’re the ones who cut you off, and you still want to return to them. You have to stop thinking about that.”

Arjin’s eyes widened at that. She looked down at herself and whispered, “I have to… be the one to leave them, huh?”

She closed her eyes for a moment, then looked back up at Kara.

“But… how do I do this, Ms Kara? How do I build a new life? How can I be happy?”

“How?” Kara placed a hand on her chin. “Do you enjoy being a prostitute, Arjin?”

Arjin blinked. She fidgeted uncomfortably. “S-sometimes?”

“Most of the time?”

She shook her head. “No, not most of the time.”

“Is this what you want to do?” Kara continued.

And Arjin replied again, “No.”

Kara nodded as she placed her hands on her hips. “Is there something you want to do? Something that you think will make you happy?”

There was a pause. Arjin slowly averted her gaze. And she said something in a small voice.

“I want to…”

“What is it, Arjin?” Kara prodded the dark elf woman.

And finally, Arjin mustered up the strength to speak up, even while not looking at the human. “I want to be like you, Ms Kara. I want to be strong, and I want to be able to protect myself. I want to be a warrior. Not like the ones in my family. But like you.”

Kara blinked when she heard that. She hadn’t expected Arjin to look up to her to that extent. However, that didn’t throw her off too much. She steeled herself and nodded.

“I see.” Kara straightened and adjusted her tie. “Then let’s do that.”

“W-what?” Arjin paused when she heard that. She stared at Kara who was taking a step back, and then she shook her head. “But I can’t even bring myself to kill an animal. I can’t even look an orc in the eye anymore. How am I supposed to—”

“You can’t kill animals and you can’t kill people, I got that,” Kara cut off the other woman.

Arjin flinched as she remembered something. It was the hollow gaze she wore when she first returned to the inn after witnessing Grok’s death. So Kara knew what thoughts were crossing through the dark elf woman’s mind.

However, Kara had an idea. She thought of her plans tomorrow with Caius and Angel. And she clapped her hands together, meeting Arjin’s gaze.

“Well, what about disgusting, ugly monsters that are trying to kill you?”

And Arjin stared, at a loss for words. “...what?”

—--

Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea ever. But Kara knew how she felt towards killing even an animal back when she was an ordinary girl from Earth. However, over time, from killing gargoyles to killing those fake walking trees, she grew desensitized to it.

The problem Arjin might be experiencing in regards to fighting or killing might have been different. Kara didn’t know for sure. That was why they had to figure out the root of the problem and push Arjin to her limits.

So as morning rose the next day, Kara, Angel, and Arjin left the innsmith for the gates of the city. To meet with Caius. To descend into the lower tunnels together.

To face the monsters lurking beneath the Sanctuary City.

Author's Notes:

4.7k words. What thonk?

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