"Words of high praise coming from you," said Kui. "I know not what species you hail from, but I can tell that your heart is still young from our clash. Your desire for battle is pure, and the feeling of your aura is pure."
"You are capable of discerning age from fluctuations in magical energy?" stated the Collector. The Collector noted the elder goblin specimen, too, was capable of discerning this value by assessing the Collector, though even now, the exact mechanisms by which this was performed was not truly known to the Collector.
The Collector, even with its vast processing power, could only discern the quantity and quality of mana emanating from a being and determine how weak or strong they were or what techniques they were utilizing and how they were performing them.
"Mana emits from one's trained muscles and the beating of the heart, yes, but fundamentally, it is an expression of the soul, for it its one that draws off emotion and the mind to fuel," said Kui. "It is possible to discern the 'quality' of a being from reading the purity of their mana. A mind too clouded will produce a clouded aura.
Yours possesses a sharp, almost jarring purity. Such as that seen by children whose emotions are not tainted by complexities."
"The Sovnar is no child!" said Thokk from behind. He had always looked suspiciously at Kui, not quite trusting the man. "You insult him."
"No, it is merely an observation," said Kui, his voice still calm and steady. He stared forwards, at the large pool of glowing, reflective blue water in the cavern. "Ah, waters of restoration. Useful indeed."
Kui dipped his injured hand into the waters, and the glowing blue liquid started to swirl around his arm, traveling up its length and rapidly healing his wound, growing new flesh over scabbed and raw flesh, patching cracks in bone, and creating new skin and scales.
"What is your purpose for entering into this dungeon?" said Kui as he looked into the glowing water.
"To ascertain the nature of the 'Old Gods' and the state of their presence among these mountains," stated the Collector.
"The Old Gods, I see," said Kui. He mulled the word about in his head for a few seconds before continuing. "The Old Gods are dead. I know not which of them that slumbered in these depths, but they are no more."
"The Old Wolf is dead?" said Loktal with a grunt of concern.
"All are dead," confirmed Kui. "Do you not see that the flow of the mana around you is irregular? A dungeon with a proper center, a proper vessel to anchor it, would not have such erratic and weakened flow."
"Their capacity to perceive the flow of mana is not as developed," stated the Collector.
"It is, I can see!" said Thokk, rather obviously lying to project a confidence in abilities that did not yet exist.
"What specimens were capable of defeating these beings known as 'Old Gods'? Contextual evidence leads me to believe that these 'Old Gods' were beings of significant power," said the Collector.
"Old Gods occupy vast ranges of power," said Kui. "They are merely mighty monsters vested with much of the Worldwill's energy. They are all strong, yes, but not as strong as you would think. Some are weaker than us, the same, stronger – it depends.
As for you-," Kui eyed the Collector, assessing the Collector's capabilities. "You occupy the lower to middle rung of Old God strength, perhaps ever so slightly waving forwards into the higher rung."
"This form will evolve, adapt, and come to surpass all 'gods' in time,' said the Collector.
"Indeed," said Kui simply before he returned to his original line of speech. "And it was the Draconids that killed the Old Gods."
"For what purpose?" stated the Collector. It knew that the average level of strength for a draconid was not especially high, but it seemed that draconids occupied an incredibly wide range of power. It was entirely conceivable that entire armies of stronger specimens could overpower a being akin to the Collector in might.
"To harvest their cores," said Kui. "They, like you, are capable of change over time, especially when that change is fueled by a dungeon and the heart of an Old God. All of these mountains became chambers from which felled Old Gods infused into draconids, ascending them.
Those draconids that took in the might of an Old God ascended into what they call a 'Fang'.
Twenty three of twenty-five old gods are felled, so twenty-three Fangs running among their ranks."
"To what end should these specimens attempt to gather such power?" stated the Collector. "These dungeons have been destabilized for a timeframe between ten and three hundred years, some destabilized far earlier than others.
This indicates a consistently planned and pursued course of action, and yet, with the power garnered, the draconid specimens make no usage of their power beyond their biome beyond the Rift."
"They are gathering strength for an invasion," said Kui. "I told you. They desire the End. What they are waiting for or what they pursue, I know not what more power they must gather, for I am no true friend to them."
"You sure about that?" said Thokk. "They cross and pass from here, and you do not fight them but you fight our Sovnar?"
"You did not think to defend the Old Gods?" said Loktal with a snarl. "Aslumber many of them were, but their lives are still marks of this land. Sacred to the snow and ice."
"Your Sovnar is right. The vast majority of the Old Gods were felled in a timespan ranging three hundred years ago. I may look old, but I am not that old," said Kui as he tugged at his long, scraggly beard. "I have only been here for three decades. And in that time, they invaded a dungeon only but once. I stood against them, but I was repelled by their leader."
"A fighting specimen such as yourself was repelled? To what degree of ease?" stated the Collector.
"It was a hard fight for him, but not one I could sustain," said Kui. "Quite like my fight with you, yet, different in nature."
"You will not tell us his powers?" said Thokk.
"A fight between two Endbringers, and such a fight is now inevitable, must be decided upon grounds as fair as possible," said Kui simply.
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