ã€ŠGod of Gnomes: Book 1 of the God Core seriesã€‹


 Chapter 1: A Rude Awakening

    In the beginning, there was darkness.

    I don''t just mean sun-below-the-horizon, light-the-lamps, tuck-your-feet-under-the-blanket darkness. No, I mean real darkness; the sort that lurks in the deepest places of the world.

    You might find it in fathoms-deep trenches beneath the ocean''s black waves, or at the bottom of a cave rift, or in some monster-infested gorge ¨C heavy, terrible, and probably sheltering all sorts of soulless, eyeless creatures in its blind embrace.

    I don''t know how long I spent beneath the earth. All I remember is that oppressive darkness, grim and heavy as a shroud. It dimmed my memory and dulled my once-sharp wits. I couldn''t move; I couldn''t even speak. I became little more than a nugget of awareness, a fading firefly amid the backdrop of oblivion.

    Then the gnomes found me, and things really went downhill.

    ***

    The dark was terrible, yes, but it was familiar. Comforting, in a way. Much like a vagrant is blind to the smell that seeps from his pores and waters the eyes of unfortunate passersby, I''d found myself accustomed to being wrapped in that stinking blanket of night.

    So when the first slice of light struck me, I was convinced I was dying. Its bright burn hurt, and I wanted nothing more than to turn and burrow back beneath the cool, dank earth.

    But when I tried to do just that, I found I couldn''t move. In fact, I couldn''t even feel my legs, or my arms. My mind spun in confusion.

    Something was wrong.

    Very, very wrong.

    Where am I? Who am I?

    When the unwelcome light finally subsided from blinding to merely agonizing, I was able to take in my surroundings. Not that there was much to see. With light came shadows, and the shapes that loomed over me cast very large shadows indeed. I did my best to squint, but I still could not feel my facial muscles, or any muscles at all for that matter.

    As the stationary silhouettes surrounding me came into focus, I suddenly realized what they were.

    Mushrooms.

    Monstrous mushrooms, towering above me as casually as you please. An entire forest of them, by the looks of it, all leaning crookedly in different directions. Some of them rested against their fellows like contented drunks in the final hours of a party.

    Others grew away, attempting to head off on their own purposes, as though they were tired of the other mushrooms'' nonsense and wanted nothing more than to get the hell out of there. I can''t say I blamed them. The whole thing seemed rather badly organized.

    As my sight grew accustomed to something other than all-pervading blackness, it became clear that these particular mushrooms were not only unsightly, but also unwell. The wonky stalks were an unhealthy yellow-gray, the sort of color you might see on a bruise, or the belly of a spider. Atop them, cracked caps overshadowed slimy-looking black gills.

    In all, they were the sort of mushrooms you might expect to find in a potion made by some mad enchantress, cackling and rubbing her hands together while throwing ingredients into her cauldron. Filled with trepidation, I strained to look further afield, at anything but the most depressing fungi I''d ever seen.

    Despite the light creeping in from somewhere far above, I definitely appeared to be underground. I caught glimpses of distant rock-and-dirt walls, of greenish moss, of hanging stalactites glistening with moisture.

    This comforted me, for reasons I couldn''t articulate, and not just because I no longer seemed to possess functioning vocal chords. Being underground felt right, somehow. It felt like¡­ home.

    An image ¨C a memory? - suddenly flashed before my eyes: a subterranean city, carved from stone. Beyond a black crevice moat ¨C spanned by fine, arching bridges ¨C rose towers with sweeping spires encrusted with black and blue gems. Orbs of blue-green light were strung across winding streets, pushing back but not quite banishing the shadows, and the entire settlement was suffused with that eerie jade glow.

    Home, I knew.

    Longingly, I reached out toward the city¡ª

    ¡ªonly to find myself back among the mushrooms.

    After trying and failing to recapture the grand vision I''d just had ¨C it slipped through the questing fingers of my consciousness like fine sand through a sieve ¨C I attempted to get a better look at my surroundings again, though being entirely unable to move was still proving something of an impediment.

    While finding myself underground had indeed been a relief, the local environs left me distinctly unimpressed. Unlike the expansive cavern from my vision in all its glittering glory, here was little but fungi and dampness. If only I could get up and move around ¡ª

    A monstrous visage loomed into view, blocking the mushrooms from sight. It stared down at me with eyes like massive poached eggs; they bulged, gray and watery and wide, above dirt-smeared cheeks. The creature¡¯s mouth hung open, a yawning cavern of boulder-like teeth ready to devour me.

    I shrieked. No sound came out, though my vision was briefly infused with a strange reddish glow. Odd. But there was no time to ponder this new curiosity. Those pale eyes had widened, and the face came even closer. Still paralyzed, I now truly began to panic, desperately trying to move legs and arms I could not feel while the giant''s horrific countenance loured over me.

    A futile struggle, it turned out. My traitorous body refused to obey my commands. As the colossal creature stretched out a hand toward me, I squeezed my eyes shut and prepared for the worst.

    Or tried to. Turned out I couldn''t even manage that, and was forced to watch my approaching doom as fingers the size of cave-borers ¨C those massive, tunnelling, worm-like eaters of rock ¨C loomed unstoppably closer.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    This is it. This is the end. So long, cruel world, and thanks for nothing¡­

    The fingers closed around me.

    Instead of being crushed, I was wriggled from side to side in a distinctly undignified fashion until the damp soil encasing me released me with a reluctant squilch, whereupon I found myself lifted ¨C somewhat terrifyingly ¨C into the air.

    Dizziness consumed me as my captor stood to its full height and began walking. Barely-caught glimpses of the rest of the cavern spun past as I was jolted along, far above the ground that had held me for so long.

    The wet-looking walls were adorned with surprisingly vibrant greenery, and I was grudgingly forced to admit that, nauseating though this little jaunt was proving to be, it was in fact preferable to the sight of those miserable mushrooms. And it was certainly an improvement on the eternal nothingness I''d been forced to endure up until that day. Still, it was difficult to enjoy the view given my current predicament. Where was this creature taking me, and what did it intend to do with me when we arrived?

    I didn''t have to wait long to find out. As we ambled toward the center of the cavern, the dingy light became brighter and brighter. Now I really wished I could close my eyes.

    My every instinct sought to retreat from the cursed illumination, to seek deeper caves filled with cool shadows and still, quiet air. Instead, I was borne closer, helpless to shield myself from the light pouring down through what I now saw was a great ragged hole in the cavern''s ceiling.

    ¡®No! No, not sunlight! Anything but sunlight!¡¯

    My horrified protests fell on deaf ears ¨C probably because I still seemed incapable of making any external noise whatsoever ¨C and I remained helplessly frozen as we stepped beneath that hellish blaze.

    Blinding white claws gouged at my eyes, which I tried and once more failed to close. Unable to withstand the assault, I pushed away from it with every ounce of my being.

    This turned out to be either a very good idea, or a very bad one. On one hand, I no longer felt the torment of the vile sun; I suffered not a single sunspot in my vision. On the other hand, this was because I now appeared to be floating several feet above the ground, and away from the light¡¯s direct path.

    Once I¡¯d re-oriented my senses, I garnered a much better look at my surroundings than before, and noted several curious things.

    A stream meandered its way through the center of the cavern, which was much larger than I''d originally supposed. On the opposite side of the stream to where I now hovered, rough tent-like structures were haphazardly erected, between which a colony of tiny creatures - looking from here like the smallest, dirtiest humans imaginable - pottered about on two legs, occasionally poking the ground with sticks in a listless sort of way.

    Tearing my gaze away from the bizarrely tiny people, I saw that the swaths of ground on either side of the stream were made up of dark, wet-looking soil. Further downstream, the banks became gray.

    Clay, perhaps?

    Patches of black soil also bordered the cavern''s edges, though nothing grew in them aside from straggling weeds and the odd toadstool. The latter were being cultivated by a couple of the small man-like figures, and occasionally cut away and brought back to the ragged settlement ¨C probably for eating.

    The thought made me oddly hungry, though I sensed the sensation was in my mind; after all, I couldn¡¯t feel any part of my body at the moment, including my stomach.

    The gigantic mushroom field we''d just left comprised but a single quarter of the cavern; the sickly fungi lurked in the shadows far from the hole in the ceiling above me, their crooked forms looking strangely diminished from my new perspective.

    I finally gathered my wits and turned my newly expansive gaze down upon myself and my captor. But all I saw was yet another of those tiny humanoids, standing atop a hillock directly beneath the falling sunlight and bending over a¡­ gem?

    It was definitely a gem. Purple, by the looks of it, and strangely familiar. The gem was dirty, almost as if¡­

    ¡­ as if it had just been dug from the ground.

    I floated there for a good long while, staring down at the sight directly below me as the pieces of the puzzle clicked together in my mind. I suppose you could call it an out-of-body experience, except at this point I realized ¨C to my dismay ¨C I no longer had a body.

    The stunted creature below me held the gem up to the light. Magnified through its purple translucence, I saw again the nightmare visage of my gigantic captor ¨C the gaping mouth, the pale, boggling gray eyes ¨C in miniature as the creature peered closely at its prize in the harsh light of day. I felt again my own inability to move when I''d first awakened among the mushrooms.

    And then it finally hit me.

    By some ridiculously, insanely unlucky turn of fate, it seemed that grubby purple gem¡­ was me.

    Nope. Nope, nope, nope.

    This was too much. Panic jolted through me, and before I could do or think anything else, I was back in my body ¨C or rather, my gem ¨C beneath the hellish glare of the sun.

    To my amazement, I realized it was not actually burning me as I¡¯d thought. My sight had not been taken from me by white-hot claws, nor were my veins filled with liquid fire ¨C because I had no veins, nor eyes to blind. But it was uncomfortable; I felt an instinctive aversion to the light.

    Which made sense, I supposed. If the flashback of the underground city ¨C my home, I was almost certain ¨C had been a true memory, then it was clear I hailed from a place far, far from the hated sun.

    If only I could go back there!

    I suddenly missed having a living, breathing body very much indeed.

    Not that I could remember much about said body. I couldn''t even remember my name, let alone what I might have looked like, though I was sure I must have been glorious. Certainly more so than the grimy, primitive creature looming over me now.

    I vaguely recalled the sensation of having limbs; of waving a commanding arm at a group of cowering subordinates, of unsheathing a small, curved black blade and stealing into an imposing mansion at the head of a small army of dark-robed figures.

    The ghost of a heartbeat pulsed within me at the barely-formed memories, and a faint violet glow rose, reflected off the gawping face above me ¨C just like the red glow earlier.

    Did¡­ did I do that? The glow receded. My captor''s face twisted and then stretched, confusion and excitement crossing its ugly features in quick succession. It lowered its arm, suddenly ceasing its scrutiny of my purple depths, and bent to place me atop a small stack of stones. Then it bowed its head toward me.

    Finally! The creature''s first sign of respect, and long overdue.

    This obeisance didn''t last long, however. I''d barely had chance to consider how I would punish this miserable underling for its previous lack of deference before it straightened up and began to back away from me, its pale freakish eyes shining with what I assumed was the light of devotion.

    When it reached the edge of the knoll we were upon, it promptly turned and fled downhill and out of my ¨C once more limited ¨C sight.

    Rude.

    Somehow, I felt ¨C no, I knew ¨C I deserved better than this. I might have been reduced to little more than a stone myself, but to seat me upon a throne that was little more than a pile of rocks? Oh, a majestic sight indeed. And still covered in dirt, too.

    At the very least, my captor ¨C or was it my disciple, now? ¨C could have rinsed me in the stream that ran through the cavern. That was the problem with worshipers these days ¨C no consideration, not even for life''s most basic comforts.

    It could be worse. The wretched thing could''ve chosen to toss me in a volcano or something. Instead, I get to rest here ¨C albeit beneath this wicked, blinding sun, to which I seem strangely immune ¨C and figure out just what the hell is going on. This may well be a prison, but a bit of peace and quiet might be exactly what I need.

    I felt myself growing calmer already.

    Ah, the wonders of solitude.

    The thought had barely finished crossing my mind when a bright, clear voice sounded right beside me.

    ''Hey there!''

 Chapter 2: Sprite

    ''Hey!''

    Great. Just when I thought things couldn''t get any weirder.

    I looked around, still squinting against the cruel daylight that poured from above as I sought out the source of the irritatingly chirpy voice. Aside from the roughly circular outline of the hole in the cavern ceiling directly above me, I could see nothing.

    The voice came again.

    ''Over here!''

    Weirdly, it sounded as though it was coming from right beside me. I scanned the surroundings in my limited vision. Still nothing.

    ¡®Here!¡¯ the voice insisted.

    Where?

    Annoyed, I glared around my bare, light-flooded hillock. It was empty but for myself, propped atop my pathetic stone pedestal. Around me, motes of floating dust drifted, occasionally glinting in the sun''s terrible rays.

    As I stared, one of the motes glittered more brightly than the others. It began to grow larger. I attempted to shift nervously ¨C to no avail, of course ¨C as this shiny thing approached my helplessly prone form.

    When it was scarcely a hand''s breadth away, it spoke again.

    ¡®See?'' It fluttered closer. ''Here I am!''

    I glimpsed gray-green wings fluttering almost imperceptibly fast, like those of a hummingbird, before the creature bumped gently against me.

    ''Ow!'' I grumbled.

    ''Seriously? That hurt?'' It nudged me again.

    Of course, there was no pain, but irritation flashed through me, and I saw again the red glow I''d seen when my ugly humanoid captor had first manhandled me. Was that my gem¡­ changing color? To match my mood?

    Good. Maybe this infernal insect will see it as a threat and leave me alone.

    Alas, it seemed to have the opposite effect.

    ''Ooooh!'' the creature trilled. For an instant, I swear I saw two minuscule hands squeeze together in glee; then the insect-thing was in the air again, a featureless, glittering blur. It buzzed in a circle, clearly excited about something. Then it hovered in front of me. ''You''re already manifesting your moods? Marvelous! How exciting! I wonder what else you can do?''

    The thing''s cheery voice was already beginning to grate, and the way it sparkled in the falling light hurt my eyes, such as they were.

    ''Listen, bug¡ª'' I began.

    ''Bug?!'' it squealed. For such a small ball of nothingness, it certainly could raise its voice when it wanted to. I mentally winced.

    ''BUG?'' it shrieked again, in a voice so high I imagined bats in nearby caves flapping in panic, suddenly torn from their daytime slumber. The creature that wasn¡¯t a bug zipped back and forth; I got the curious sense that had we both been humanoids, it would now be jabbing a finger into my chest. ''You ought to be more polite to your sprite, little rock, or else you might just find yourself carried off by my friends the local magpies. How would you like to spend eternity in a tree amid some klepto bird''s hoard?''

    The not-bug flitted to and fro, wavering ominously, and now I got the impression it was shaking a fist at me. Its threat barely registered, though, since I was too confused by what it had said.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    ''What do you mean, ''my sprite''?''

    It made a little fizzing sound, which I correctly took for indignation. ''What d''you think it means? I am a sprite. I¡¯m here to help you.'' It buzzed a little closer. ''Though don''t get any funny ideas about it. I don''t belong to you. Got it?''

    ''Yes. No. What? I¡ª''

    ''Marvelous! Now, shall we get to work, or are you waiting for me to do it all myself?''

    My mind spun. This ''sprite'', or whatever it was, seemed to operate at double the speed of a normal person. While I could hardly be described as a ''normal person'' in my current state, I certainly couldn''t keep up with this shiny, bossy speck of attitude.

    I wished I had hands to raise to defend myself from it; its enthusiasm was offensive. On top of that, it was either speaking nonsense, or it had the wrong person.

    ''Wait,¡¯ I asked. ¡®Slow down. What work? What are you talking about? And what are you?''

    It fizzed again, though it seemed this time it was annoyed at itself rather than me. That makes two of us.

    ''Of course! Where are my manners?''

    In the void, along with my patience and everything that makes sense in this world.

    ¡®I''m Ketten, though you can just call me Ket. I¡¯m a sprite. A rock sprite, to be exact. Your rock sprite, though that certainly doesn''t¡ª''

    ''Doesn''t mean you belong to me, yes, yes. You already said that.''

    The sprite ¨C what had it called itself? Kip? ¨C waited, as though expecting me to say something more. I stared back stonily.

    ''Well?'' she prompted. I''m not sure why I thought of her as female; there was nothing to mark her as such, not physically anyway.

    But something about the way she spoke was distinctly feminine, and my mind ¨C already lost amid the various cruel complications of my new situation ¨C sought desperately to anchor itself by grasping for something ¨C anything ¨C familiar.

    Apparently, pinning labels upon even the most formless of creatures was the only way it currently knew how to do that.

    ¡®Well?¡¯ the sprite said again.

    ''Well, what?''

    ''Where are your manners?'' she demanded, hovering before me. ''You haven''t even told me your name!''

    How dare the common-looking little creature take such a tone with me? We¡¯d met just moments ago, yet already she expected us to exchange pleasantries ¨C as though the two of us were of equal station.

    The very idea! This jumped-up fragment of flying quartz has a serious attitude problem. ¡®I¡¯m surprised you need to ask my name,¡¯ I told her huffily, ¡®seeing as you already seem to know everything else.¡¯

    The sprite buzzed brightly at this and drew herself up higher.

    ''I''ll have you know that I don''t know everything,¡¯ she trilled, her annoying high-pitched voice surprisingly smug for someone openly admitting the extent of their own ignorance. ¡®However, I do know far more than you do! In fact, that''s exactly why I''m here.''

    ''Great. Perhaps you can tell me my name, then, seeing as I can''t seem to remember it.''

    Ugh. Why did I admit that? Now she¡¯s going to think me weak.

    My fears were confirmed when her glow dimmed a little, and the pitch of her next buzz was lower. It sounded less entitled, and more¡­ sympathetic. I wasn''t sure which was worse.

    ''Fear not, dear rock. Your memories will return.'' She sounded unsure of this, however. After a brief, awkward silence, she flitted from side to side, as though dismissing my worries. ''And if they don''t ¨C well, we''ll just have to give you a new name, won''t we?''

    ''Erm¡­''

    ''More importantly, do you understand what you are? What you have become?''

    ''Well, it''s quite obvious, isn''t it?'' I bluffed. I understood very little ¨C all right, nothing ¨C of what had happened since I awoke from my sojourn in the darkness. However, I wasn''t about to admit that to her.

    But her silver glow became sharper, and I got the impression she was narrowing her eyes at me in scrutiny. ''You have no idea, do you?''

    Busted.

    ''I¡ª''

    ''Lesson one: never lie to a sprite. I''m here to help you, and for me to help you, you have to be completely honest with me about what you know. I¡¯m not a mind-reader, but from the way you''re just sitting there as dull as a coal deposit, I''m going to assume you know nothing.''

    ''Now, hang on¡ª''

    ''It''s less than ideal, of course, but I can work with it. It''s my job, after all.''

    What? ''What do you mean, it''s your job? I still don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re here. More importantly, why am I here? And what am I?¡¯

    She glowed brighter, as though taking a deep breath. I groaned internally and braced myself for more unhelpful ¡®explanations¡¯.

    ¡®I¡¯ve no idea what you were before,¡¯ she began, ¡®and although your own sense of self is obviously uncertain, I think it¡¯s probably safe to assume you were human.¡¯

    I had some doubts about this, mainly based on my ¡®memories¡¯ of dwelling in a subterranean city. But those recollections were vague, and since the sprite seemed unaware of my possession of these fragmented memories, I decided to keep quiet about them for now.

    ¡®It¡¯s possible you¡¯ll never fully recall the details of your former life,¡¯ Ket went on. ¡®But from now on, you, dear rock, are a God Core.¡¯

 Chapter 3: God Core

    ¡®I¡¯m a what, now?¡¯ I asked, somewhat perplexed.

    ¡®A God Core,¡¯ she said again, unhelpfully.

    I knew the word ¡®god¡¯. I knew the word ¡®core¡¯. Never, though, had I heard them used together. I waited for her to embellish this with an explanation; alas, she seemed to consider mere repetition sufficient.

    ¡®All will become clearer with time,¡¯ she said, apparently sensing my confusion. ¡®For now, I¡¯ll tell you this: Cores are at the center of most great civilizations. They are the nucleus¡ª¡¯

    ¡®The what?¡¯

    She made a soft, short sputtering sound which I took to be a huff. ¡®The brain. Sort of. Anyway, they¡¯re the nucleus of almost every society, the center and the driving force of any thriving network of living beings. Humans, elves, giants, goblins ¨C if there¡¯s a functioning civilization, it¡¯s generally ruled ¨C or rather, guided ¨C by a single Core.¡¯

    ¡®You mean like an actual god?¡¯ I was a god now? I could certainly get behind that notion.

    ¡®Plenty are regarded as such, yes.¡¯ She seemed hesitant, wary of this line of questioning, but I barely noticed. I was a god! That explained why the foul sunlight no longer burned me, not to mention how I managed to survive for so long disembodied in the dark. I felt vaguely as though I¡¯d accomplished something I¡¯d been aspiring to for a very, very long time.

    Yes, things were definitely starting to look up.

    ¡®¡­ similar to Dungeon Cores, though with vital differences,¡¯ the sprite was saying.

    What did she say her name was? Kit? Kat?

    ¡®Cores are as many as they are varied, though all are created in the same way. When a freshly departed soul is absorbed by a powerful enough soul gem¡ª¡¯

    ¡®A what, now?¡¯ I asked.

    She stopped buzzing for an instant and became deadly silent. Somehow, I knew she was fixing me with a death glare.

    ¡®If you don¡¯t stop saying that, I¡¯m going to stop answering your questions altogether and leave you to figure things out for yourself.¡¯

    ¡®Excellent,¡¯ I almost replied, thinking of the peace and quiet of the deep places.

    Had it really been that much less desirable than all this bright light and confusion ¨C and worse, conversation? Was the heavy weight of oblivion really such a hard burden to bear compared with finding myself conscious and trapped inside a damned rock?

    My new existence was somewhat painful, yes (though not literally; that was one of the upsides to being made of stone, it seemed), yet I couldn¡¯t suppress a mental shudder as I recalled feeling myself alone, pressed down beneath the weight of the world.

    Besides, what had the sprite said? ¡®It¡¯s possible you¡¯ll never know what you were before¡¯. Surely that meant it was also possible I would remember. It seemed my only option was to go along with this weirdness ¨C for now.

    My tiny airborne interlocutor was still waiting for me to respond to her ultimatum. I had to try and sound ¨C what was the word? Contrite. Yes, I had to act contrite if I was to convince her to help me.

    I racked my limited memory for my next words. What was that phrase one was meant to utter when one was attempting to express contrition?

    ¡®I¡¯m, er¡­ sorry?¡¯ I tried. ¡®Kit,¡¯ I added hopefully.

    She hummed her disgust. ¡®My name is Ket. Ket. I won¡¯t tell you again!¡¯

    Somehow, I doubted this. Still, I tried again. ¡®Sorry, Ket.¡¯

    The words tasted strange in my mind; sour, unfamiliar. From the way the sprite huffed again, I guessed I¡¯d soon have to get used to saying them a lot more often.

    ¡®Sorry,¡¯ I said again for good measure. There, that ought to do it. She huffed again, more quietly this time. I sensed something more was needed.

    ¡®I am grateful for your help. Please teach me more.¡¯ I paused. ¡®Ket,¡¯ I added proudly.

    She was not as impressed by the fact I¡¯d remembered her name as I was. I was pretty sure she even rolled her eyes, though it was hard to tell, her being so small.

    ¡®Well done,¡¯ she said dryly. Clearly somewhat appeased, she began to buzz once more, glowing softly all the while.  ¡®And what should I call you?¡¯

    I began to stutter something, but she waved me down. ¡®I know, I know, you don¡¯t remember, but I can¡¯t just call you ¡®core¡¯.¡¯

    She paused, then brightened. ¡®How about ¡®Corey¡¯?¡¯

    What? True, I couldn¡¯t remember my actual name, but I was fairly certain it was probably something much more majestic and obscure; something many-syllabled, surely, and containing at least three apostrophes. ¡®I really don¡¯t think¡ª¡¯

    ¡®Corey it is,¡¯ she announced.

    ¡®But¡ª¡¯

    ¡®What¡¯s that, Corey?¡¯

    I groaned internally. ¡®Nothing. Fine. Whatever.¡¯ I sought to change the subject; anything to stop her from repeating my distinctly unexceptional new name. ¡®What were you saying about God Cores? What exactly are they¡ª are we?¡¯

    She seemed delighted to be asked a question, and puffed herself up glitteringly. ¡®As I was saying, each and every Core is essentially a soul trapped inside a gem. What¡¯s special about God Cores is that they¡¯re summoned through time and space by the needs of the people they¡¯re destined to protect.¡¯

    ¡®Summoned?¡± I asked. ¡°You mean by magic?¡¯

    ¡®Yes, and no. It¡¯s magic of a sort, but it¡¯s not so much the will of a wizard as it is the prayers of a people.¡¯

    ¡®Wait¡­ you¡¯re saying I¡¯m here because people worship me?¡¯ I couldn¡¯t help but preen at the thought.

    ¡®Not exactly. Look, before I tell you anything more, Corey ¨C and before you start suffering from delusions of grandeur ¨C I think it would be prudent for you to take stock of your surroundings ¨C and, of course, your denizens.¡¯Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    My denizens? As in, subjects? I felt a thrill of excitement at the prospect, momentarily forgetting the debacle of my new ¡®name¡¯. What Ket had just said made instant sense to me. That my purpose here should be to rule over others seemed only natural.

    But where were they? When I¡¯d recently taken that unexpected out-of-body, god¡¯s-eye view of the cavern, I hadn¡¯t glimpsed any likely-looking subjects. Perhaps they lived elsewhere. I tried to look around properly, just like I had earlier. How had I done it?

    ¡®Here, let me help you,¡¯ offered Ket.

    My viewpoint suddenly soared so that I was once more looking down on myself from the cavern ceiling.

    Well, this is certainly useful.

    I scanned my surroundings again; the stream, the faraway giant mushroom patch, the gaping tunnel entrance behind it.

    ¡®Ket, why is it that I can see like this?¡¯

    ¡®Everything you see here is within your Sphere of Influence. That¡¯s the area currently within your control. You can¡¯t move outside it, so you won¡¯t get past the edge of this cavern, for now at least. As long as you¡¯re within your Sphere of Influence, you can view anything as and when you please.¡¯

    ¡®Perks of the job, eh?¡¯

    I could see plenty, it was true, but there was still no sign of these ¡®denizens¡¯ of mine. In fact, the only immediate signs of life were those dumb-looking creatures in their primitive tent village. Perhaps they were the servants of my people? They certainly couldn¡¯t be¡­

    Oh.

    Oh, no.

    Oh hell no.

    ¡®Ket¡­¡¯

    ¡®Yes?¡¯ she said sweetly.

    I stared down at the hundred or so sad-looking miniature humanoids. ¡®What are those?¡¯ I asked, dreading the answer.

    ¡®I¡¯m glad you asked,¡¯ she said, sickeningly enthusiastic. ¡®Corey ¨C meet your new denizens!¡¯

    ¡®But¡ª but¡ª¡¯

    How could the world be cruel enough to make me responsible for these¡­ these things? I cast my despairing gaze over them, huddled amongst their pathetic camp of shoddy skin tents.

    A small group were poking futilely with sticks at a smoking fire. One of them was simply standing by, watching the others, picking its nose with the enthusiasm of a miner determined to strike gold. Nearby, another was hitting a large rock with a tiny mallet; the reason for this was not immediately apparent.

    I noted another gaggle of the creatures heading our way, trailing raggedly one after the other, led by the familiar ugly sight of the one responsible for digging me up and ditching me here in the first place.

    The sheer impudence of it still left a bad taste in my mind. Or maybe that was just the dirt. I shuddered again at the memory of being clutched within those grubby fingers.

    ¡®What are they?¡¯ I asked again, trying and failing to keep the question from sounding like a whine.

    ¡®Oh, they¡¯re gnomes!¡¯ Ket said, her voice bright, as though she was pointing out a new species of flower and not a race of potato-shaped humanoids. I struggled to get my head around this.

    ¡®You¡¯re saying I¡¯m here¡­ because they ¡®summoned¡¯ me?¡¯

    ¡®Not directly, but yes. Their village is beset by dire circumstances, and their need has drawn you here. They will worship you, if you let them. And you will help them in return.¡¯

    Questions raced through my mind. What were these ¡®dire circumstances¡¯? Why were the gnomes in trouble? How, exactly, did Ket think I could help them?

    Most importantly, what would I be getting out of this arrangement?

    I didn¡¯t ask any of these questions, though. Instead, all I could choke out was, ¡®You¡¯re saying I¡¯m a god¡­ of gnomes?¡¯

    ¡®Exactly!¡¯ She glowed, clearly mistaking my crushing realization for delight.

    ''But I don¡¯t want to be their god! They''re pitiful! Miniscule, weak, dumb¡ª''

    ''Corey¡­''

    ''¡ªgormless, pointless¡ª''

    ''Corey!''

    The sudden urgency in Ket¡¯s tone brought me back down to earth with a jolt. Literally; she¡¯d yanked me back inside my gem again.

    I looked up to see what she was so concerned about and would have jumped in alarm had I not been an inanimate object incapable of spontaneous movement.

    Faces loomed above me. Good grief, they really were ugly. Dirt-smeared and horrid just like the one who''d found me, they stared down upon my shiny purple form, their stone-gray eyes wide and puzzled.

    ¡®Are you creatures always confused?¡¯ I muttered.

    They didn¡¯t appear to be able to hear me. One of them had a finger stuffed up its nose ¨C a popular gnomish pastime, it seemed. Another scratched its head; flakes of stone dust, scalp and gods knew what else rained down around me.

    Revolted, I tried to shrink away, but all that happened was a brief dimming of my already faint purple light. Thankfully, this was enough to make my watchers leap back with cries and shouts of what I presumed was alarm.

    The gnome who¡¯d found me ¨C the one with the biggest, palest, ugliest gray eyes ¨C actually slipped over the side of the small hillock. The unfortunate creature squeaked and wailed as he rolled down the slope, drawing further sounds of consternation from those gnomes who''d kept their balance and now watched with interest as their comrade reached the bottom and lay sprawled in the dirt at the hillock''s base.

    I couldn''t help it; I snickered, and my surroundings glowed once more, this time with a bit of cheeky pink tinging the purple. The watchers nearby reacted in a similar way again ¨C so skittish ¨C but to my disappointment none of the fools followed their fellow in his undignified tumble over the edge.

    They inched closer to me again. Meanwhile, my finder dusted himself off and clambered back up the hill, elbowing his way to the front of the small crowd. Once there, he gestured clumsily toward me and began jabbering nonsense at the other gnomes, who clustered tighter and murmured to each other.

    ¡®What language are they speaking?¡¯ I asked Ket. ¡®It sounds like gibberish to me.¡¯

    ¡®They¡¯re speaking Gnomish, of course. But even if they were speaking Common, I¡¯m afraid you still wouldn¡¯t be able to understand them. As a God Core, you¡¯re simply incapable of processing your own denizens¡¯ native language.¡¯

    As relieved as I was to learn that this particular shortcoming was an in-built design flaw and not a personal failing, I couldn¡¯t help but object.

    ¡®Aren¡¯t gods meant to be omniscient?¡± I asked. ¡°As in, all-knowing? What¡¯s the use of a god who can¡¯t understand his subjects?¡¯

    ¡®That¡¯s the whole point, Corey, don¡¯t you see? You¡¯re meant to intuitively see to their needs; they can¡¯t just ask and have their wishes granted. That¡¯s not how this whole religion thing works.¡¯

    I stewed over this, listening to the gnomes talk some more. At times I felt I almost knew what they were saying, but after a while I was forced to conclude that I could not comprehend them in the slightest.

    ¡®What about you, then?¡¯ I asked Ket. ¡®Can you tell what they¡¯re babbling about?¡¯

    ¡®A little. I get the gist of it, just like you can pick up on emotions from me ¨C or you will do, the longer we spend together. Right now, the little gnome is trying to convince the others you¡¯re special; that you¡¯ll bring them luck.¡¯

    ¡®What do the others say?¡¯

    ¡®They think you¡¯re a demon.¡¯

    ¡®Oh.¡¯

    I felt like this should have concerned me more than it did. For some reason, though, all I could think about was that there must have been some kind of mistake.

    ¡®Ket¡­ this is all wrong. Gnomes? Gnomes? I should be the god of my own people!''

    ''Right¡­ and who are your people?''

    Almost certainly not humans. I suspected this revelation would not go down well with the sprite, however.

    ''I¡­ well, I can''t remember. But¡ª''

    ¡®Exactly. Put all that behind you, Corey. These are your people now.¡¯

    Even as I watched, the small party of gnomes began to disperse. Most simply wandered away shaking their heads, though one or two spat parting words at my finder which I did not need to understand to get the meaning of. They clearly thought their compatriot was mad. And maybe he was.

    The second-to-last remaining gnome patted him on the shoulder sadly and then walked off, disappearing over the brow of the hillock and heading back toward that stick-and-hide settlement on the other side of the stream.

    My gnome¡¯s shoulders slumped as he watched them leave. Then his brow furrowed, his ugly features set into an expression of determination. The gnome squared his shoulders and set himself between my gem and the other gnomes, as though preparing to defend me against any further insult.

    Uncomfortably touched by this gesture, I said quietly to Ket, ¡®Why such loyalty? I¡¯ve done nothing.¡¯

    ¡®He¡¯s desperate, Corey. They all are.¡¯ She sounded sad.

    Together, we watched the steadfast gnome for a moment, until Ket brightened again. ¡®And I think you mean you¡¯ve done nothing¡­ yet. But things are changing for the better already. I have faith in you, Corey.¡¯

    Such optimism. Such encouragement, from such unexpected quarters. Was it annoying? Yes. Was it the worst thing in the world? Hell, no.

    Could I ever get used to the prospect of a life ¨C presumably eternal ¨C as a shiny purple rock? No. But could I put up with it temporarily while I figured out how to increase my influence over this area and possibly escape my predicament? Damn right I could.

    ¡®All right, Ket. I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯ll be their god, for better or for worse.¡¯

    ¡®Of course you will.¡¯ She paused and eyed me sideways. ¡®You do realize you don¡¯t have a choice, right?¡¯

    There¡¯s always a choice.

    I took in the sight of the cavern, the guardian gnome, the tiny sprite no bigger than a firefly.

    It¡¯s not much to work with, but it¡¯s a start.

 Chapter 4: Insight

    ¡®Not much to work with¡¯ turned out to be an understatement. Not content with merely denying my divinity, my impious new denizens returned a short while later carrying sacks.

    These sacks turned out to contain small, moldy black mushrooms, which they used to pelt my lone gnomish guardian ¨C whom I¡¯d decided to name Gneil ¨C until he lost his balance and once again went rolling unceremoniously down the side of the hillock.

    Satisfied, the other gnomes left, thankfully without throwing anything at me. My triumph at this was short-lived as Ket reminded me that this was likely because they still believed I was a demon.

    Poor Gneil stumbled back up the hill and resumed his defensive stance. Meanwhile, I contemplated appropriately godlike responses to the actions of his miserable kin.

    ¡®Can I set them on fire?¡¯ I asked Ket.

    ¡®No.¡¯

    ¡®Not even a little bit?¡¯

    ¡®No!¡¯

    ¡®But they don¡¯t believe in me. That¡¯s blasphemy! And they were mean to Gneil.¡¯

    Ket sighed. ¡®A good god doesn¡¯t just go around setting unbelievers on fire.¡¯

    ¡®Why not?¡¯

    ¡®Because,¡¯ she said primly.

    I mentally rolled my eyes.

    Good argument. ¡®

    ¡®I thought gods were supposed to be all-powerful,¡± I grumbled. ¡®What sort of god can¡¯t even immolate a few heretics whenever he chooses, hmm?¡¯

    Ket sighed again. It sounded like a breeze whispering through leaves. ¡®Remember when I told you that your power would grow in correlation with the number of your worshipers? Well, how will you increase your following if you kill all your potential converts?¡¯

    She had a point. Still, I couldn¡¯t help but feel frustratingly impotent.

    ¡®I thought this was meant to be my Sphere of Influence,¡¯ I grumbled. ¡®If that¡¯s the case, I don¡¯t seem to have very much influence.¡¯

    ¡®Not right now, no,¡¯ Ket agreed bluntly. ¡®But once you get a handle on your new abilities, things will change. You¡¯ll see.¡¯

    ¡®And what abilities might they be? Growing moss? Talking to worms?¡¯

    ¡®Let¡¯s find out, shall we?¡¯

    I grumbled some more, but ultimately decided to go along with whatever Ket had planned. Even if my so-called abilities were less than impressive, it was surely better than having none at all.

    Besides, we all have to start somewhere.

    Ket was glowing brightly.

    Damn, she really does love bossing me about.

    ¡®Right! Let¡¯s start by looking around again. Do you need me to help you do it?¡¯

    ¡®No, no. I can do it on my own.¡¯

    I concentrated hard, straining to leave my body ¨C no, not my body; my gem, I reminded myself again, glumly. Pushing aside such thoughts, I stared at the cave ceiling and focused every fiber of my being on willing myself up there.

    Nothing happened.

    I wanted to scream with frustration. Why could I not do this simple thing? I¡¯d done it earlier, after all. Why not now?

    ¡®Relax, Corey,¡¯ said Ket. ¡®Don¡¯t be so tense!¡¯

    Relax? How am I meant to relax?

    I was a rock, which was by definition structurally rigid. ¡®Tense¡¯ was my new natural state.

    I huffed and puffed ¨C well, as best I could manage without a pair of working lungs ¨C and tried once again to forget about my physical predicament.

    The first time I¡¯d done this ¨C left my gem of my own volition and gained that god¡¯s-eye view of the cavern ¨C it had been entirely accidental, my mind¡¯s instinctive reaction to the shock of direct sunlight. That wasn¡¯t going to work a second time, not now I was accustomed to the light. So, I tried a new tactic.

    Recalling my recent stint in the abyss, I envisioned myself floating in the dark. Mindless, weightless, sightless¡­

    A dizzying jolt, and then I was suddenly hovering several feet above my gem.

    I did it!

    In my triumph, I lost my balance and did a little roly poly in mid-air. In my incorporeal state, I had no idea how to regain my balance, and continued to tumble over and over.

    As the cavern spun before me, anxiety replaced excitement.

    ¡®Ket! Help me!¡¯

    My pride went out the window ¨C or rather, through the hole in the ceiling above ¨C as I found myself trapped in my own ridiculous gyre of incompetence. The scene before me spun: bright daylight, interspersed with flashes of greenery and the blurred, grim dimness of the rest of the cavern.

    Just as I was preparing to panic, everything stabilized. The world went back to normal ¨C or at least the right way up ¨C and my center of non-gravity was restored.

    ¡®Nicely done.¡¯ Ket¡¯s laughter tinkled in my mind like spiders tap-dancing on glass.

    ¡®Your panoptic vision, Corey ¨C which you¡¯ve been thinking of as your ¡®god¡¯s eye¡¯ - is an intrinsic ability all Cores possess,¡¯ the sprite explained, zipping around in front of me like an obnoxious firefly. ¡®As you¡¯ve already discovered, it allows you to ¡®leave¡¯ your physical Core ¨C in this case, your gem, though of course your soul will remain irrevocably tethered to it ¨C in order to better survey your Sphere of Influence.¡¯

    ¡®And remind me: what¡¯s the point of having a Sphere of Influence if I can¡¯t control anything inside it?¡¯ I grumbled.

    She tutted. ¡®The sooner you learn that ¡®control¡¯ is not the ultimate goal here, the better. Now, come on: use your god¡¯s-eye vision to travel over there, toward the mushrooms.¡¯ She guided my viewpoint in that direction.

    I could just about see their gray-brown caps, grouped together in a dirty-looking mass.

    ¡®All right, now imagine yourself moving closer,¡¯ Ket instructed. ¡®Focus on the mushrooms, and will yourself in their direction. Imagine moving closer to them. Focus, now¡­¡¯

    She made it sound so easy, but when I did ¡®move,¡¯ it was sudden and unexpected. I zoomed across the cavern, landing once more among the mushrooms. Everything went dark.

    ¡®Ket!¡¯If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    I shuffled and squirmed, trying to work out what had happened. I heard Ket giggling for a good long minute before she finally took pity on me and hauled god¡¯s-eye-me out from the soil.

    While I mentally shuddered at the sight of its patchy, grim-looking stalks beneath me, Ket guided me upward until we hovered just above the nearest mushroom¡¯s rounded cap.

    ¡®Nicely done,¡¯ she said again. ¡®Now, while we¡¯re here, why don¡¯t you take a proper look at this lovely little mushroom?¡¯

    The only thing that was ¡®lovely¡¯ about it was the fact that I wasn¡¯t physically present to smell or feel it. Besides, she¡¯d just pulled me out from inside it. What else could she possibly want to show me?

    ¡®I think you¡¯ll find I¡¯ve already seen all there is to see about this particular specimen,¡¯ I replied loftily.

    ¡®Just look,¡¯ she said.

    Grumbling, I directed my gaze toward the offending mushroom. The rounded surface of its gray cap glistened damply; strips of skin had peeled away, either from scavengers or some kind of fungal disease, and¡ª

    ¡®Argh!¡¯ I yelped.

    As I stared at the mushroom, something strange began to happen. A vision of a second mushroom appeared ¨C a perfect replica of the first in size and dimensions, except this apparition was blue and faintly glowing.

    ¡®What¡¯s that?!¡¯

    When I examined it more closely, I saw that it was comprised of thousands of tiny blue lines ¨C like filaments in a butterfly¡¯s wing, or strands in a spider¡¯s web. They spread across the body of the mushroom, each strand branching out and interconnecting with others in a thousand different ways until they formed the perfect whole, superimposed atop the real-world specimen I¡¯d been looking at.

    I found that if I concentrated hard enough on the blue duplicate, I could move it wherever I wanted. I pulled it away from the mushroom and into the air, where I stared at it, bemused. Now that it hung suspended in the air, I saw the extensive network of fine roots that extended out from its base

    ¡®What¡¯s that?¡¯ I asked again.

    ¡®Remember those special abilities I mentioned?¡¯ Ket replied. ¡®Well, this is one of them.¡¯

    ¡®But what is it?¡¯

    ¡®This skill is known as Insight. As a God Core, you have the power to comprehend all living things within your Sphere of Influence. What you¡¯re seeing now is what we call a ¡®blueprint¡¯ ¨C the very essence of what living things are made of, distilled into a form only a Core can decipher.¡¯

    Huh. I¡¯d never really thought of something so tiny and insignificant as a mushroom as an actual living being, but I supposed she was right. Faint, flowing lines streamed from countless points around the mushroom¡¯s edges, eddying across the cavern directly toward where my gem sat atop its hillock. The blue lines appeared to be flowing into my gem.

    ¡®What are those?¡¯

    I had no way of gesturing toward the flowing lines, but Ket knew what I was referring to.

    ¡®Those moving lines represent ambient mana, which is a sort of excess life force naturally produced by all non-intelligent living things. In areas with no Core present, it¡¯s simply reabsorbed into the atmosphere, but in areas that are ruled by a Core ¨C such as this cave ¨C the ambient mana is siphoned directly into the Core itself.¡¯

    I wasn¡¯t sure how I felt about being force-fed these particular mushrooms¡¯ life juice, but decided not to think about that for the time being.

    ¡®So this ¡®mana¡¯ they give me¡­ it¡¯s sort of like a life tax?¡¯ I asked.

    ¡®Paid by things that dwell within your Sphere of Influence, yes, I suppose it is. Though it¡¯s paid willingly, and passively. There is no way for you to directly extract it, or take more than your natural share ¨C although you can manipulate it, if you work hard.¡¯

    ¡®Isn¡¯t mana used by mages to cast spells?¡¯

    ¡®Correct!¡¯ If I¡¯d had teeth, I would have gritted them at the patronising note in Ket¡¯s voice as she praised me. ¡®When you eventually become more powerful, you¡¯ll be able to employ mana in a similar way in order to use magical abilities of your own.¡¯

    Magical abilities? I¡¯m going to be a wizard!

    Ket¡¯s voice brought me back from my fantasies with a bump. ¡®Don¡¯t get too excited. These abilities won¡¯t let you simply do anything you want, like causing earthquakes ¨C or setting disobedient gnomes on fire,¡¯ she warned. ¡®But they will enable you to better help your denizens and create a safe, stable base in which they can thrive. And it¡¯s all thanks to the humble flow of mana from one being to another.¡¯

    Now that I concentrated, I could actually taste the mana from this particular mushroom. It was nourishing, yet hard and bitter, which I somehow knew was due to the absence of sunlight and the lack of proper cultivation.

    I followed those swirling mana lines back to the mushroom, and examined the ethereal blue mushroom form beside it. I pondered its complexity ¨C so much more than just the simple, ugly fungus I¡¯d summoned it from. How had I done that, again?

    ¡®The particular skill you¡¯re using right now doesn¡¯t require mana,¡¯ Ket went on. ¡®If it did, you¡¯d notice your mana levels begin to deplete. See that blue globe in the bottom right of your vision?¡¯

    Now she¡¯d pointed it out, I could.

    How did I not notice that before?

    It was a small blue sphere, translucent, softly glowing and pulsing like a heartbeat. The sphere was superimposed against my surroundings, remaining in the bottom right of my vision no matter which direction I looked, and I somehow knew it was only visible to me ¨C and Ket too, apparently.

    ¡®That¡¯s a mana globe, Corey,¡¯ Ket said. ¡®It¡¯s full at the moment, but it will diminish with each mana-based ability you choose to use.¡¯

    ¡®But it will refill with¡­¡¯ What had she called the blue lines? ¡®Ambient mana?¡¯

    ¡®Over time, yes. There are other ways to regain mana, which we¡¯ll discuss later, but for now, remember this: you must never expend all of your mana. That globe you see must never be allowed to empty completely, otherwise your crystal will shatter and everything we do here will be in vain. Do you understand?¡¯

    ¡®Erm. Yes?¡¯ As far as I could tell, we hadn¡¯t ¡®done¡¯ anything here yet, but shattering certainly did sound bad.

    ¡®Promise me, Corey,¡¯ Ket insisted. ¡®Promise you¡¯ll never let your mana deplete entirely.¡¯

    ¡®I promise,¡¯ I told her. A rush of emotion washed over me: concern, anxiety, and then relief. Back at the hillock, I caught sight of my gem shimmering between colors, reflecting these unexpected sensations. ¡®Whoa ¨C what was that?¡¯

    ¡®You¡­ you weren¡¯t meant to feel that.¡¯ She shuffled her feet awkwardly. ¡®As Core and sprite, we share more than just dialogue. The nature of our bond means that we can also sense strong emotions from each other. For instance, the pain and confusion you felt upon regaining consciousness was what drew me to you.¡¯

    Huh. Interesting. And potentially inconvenient.

    ¡®I try to shield my emotions as much as possible,¡¯ she continued, ¡®but sometimes they¡­ slip out.¡¯

    I could sense her shame at this fact. Embarrassed by it, and by the intensity of the relief I still felt from her, I changed the subject.

    ¡®Why is this ability called Insight?¡¯ I asked, focusing on the mushroom¡¯s blueprint once more.

    Before she could reply, some of the blue lines began to move, darting and squiggling across my vision in a ghostly mushroom-shaped dance against the shadowy backdrop of the cavern.

    It was different to the mana lines; this time, it was as though they formed words, except that I could not read them. Instead, they danced their way directly into my consciousness, so that my mind was filled with words and concepts I¡¯d never known before ¨C things I wasn¡¯t entirely sure I even wanted to know.

    For instance, I now knew that the network of roots spidering out from the base of the mushroom was called the mycelium, and that it actually formed most of the mushroom¡¯s body mass. I also knew that this particular mushroom could be scientifically classified as a bolete, and belonged to the Basidiomycota division of the Fungi kingdom.

    Whatever that means.

    The bluish symbols continued to swirl and dance around the image of the mushroom. All the while, my mind swam with this new inrush of awareness. I had to admit, it was a fairly impressive ¨C if slightly nauseating ¨C trick. But what was the point of it?

    Ket anticipated my reaction. ¡®It¡¯s more useful than it first appears.¡¯

    I mentally raised a skeptical eyebrow. ¡®Useful in what way?¡¯

    She tutted. ¡®Understanding your environment is the first step toward influencing it, Corey. But not only does this skill let you identify and understand all living things you cast it upon ¨C such as this rather delightful fungus specimen ¨C it also allows you to create more of those things, should you wish to.¡¯

    ¡®More of the weird freakish blue things?¡¯ That didn¡¯t seem very useful.

    ¡®No, Corey. I mean actual living, breathing beings.¡¯ Ket zipped down and tapped the mushroom¡¯s disgusting slimy cap. ¡®When you become a little stronger, you¡¯ll be able to form as many of these beauties as you want. Or rather, as many as your mana pool allows.¡¯

    That¡­ still didn¡¯t sound very useful.

    ¡®Why would I ever need the ability to make mushrooms?¡¯ I demanded. ¡®I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve noticed, but my days of imbibing them are long past.¡¯

    ¡®It¡¯s not all about you, Corey.¡¯ Ket¡¯s scathing tone took me aback. Before I could ask her what she¡¯d meant by that ¨C of course it was all about me! ¨C the blue-lined mushroom faded from view.

    ¡®Hey ¨C where did it go? How am I supposed to remember all that blue squiggly rubbish?¡¯

    ¡®Relax, Corey. This blueprint will have embedded itself in your consciousness by now. I¡¯ll show you how to access it again later, but rest assured that this is something you couldn¡¯t forget, even if you tried.¡¯

    To my amazement (though perhaps I should¡¯ve stopped being surprised at this by now), Ket was right. I found I could conjure the image perfectly in my memory.

    Something about this niggled at me; it was almost too easy. If I¡¯d learned anything during my years as¡­ well, whatever I¡¯d been before, it was that nothing worth having could be gotten without a hefty amount of blood, sweat and tears ¨C preferably someone else¡¯s.

    ¡®Ket¡­ how is any of this possible?¡¯ I had a vague recollection of magic ¨C fire and flashiness, mostly, conjured from the twisting fingers of those who¡¯d studied dusty books ¨C but this sort of instinctual, intrinsic knowledge of the world itself seemed something different. Something more.

    ¡®Anything is possible¡­ for a god.¡¯ This seemed to contradict what she¡¯d said earlier ¨C whatever happened to ¡®no delusions of grandeur¡¯? ¨C but before I could question her further she clapped her tiny hands together.

    ¡®Anyway, enough of my explanations for now. I can tell you¡¯re getting bored, you ungrateful rock. Let¡¯s go and find more blueprints. And you can practice maneuvering your god¡¯s-eye self while we¡¯re at it!¡¯

    Yippee. I can hardly wait.

 Chapter 5: Faith

    Ket and I toured the cavern¡¯s sights, from moldy mushrooms to dirt-paved floor to the silty stream that trickled through a crack in the wall near the mushroom patch.

    Up near the ceiling, we found glowing worms. They constantly emitted a greenish light, which I hadn¡¯t noticed before, and from a distance they glittered like emeralds, making the moss-covered walls look like some magical gem-encrusted grotto.

    And just like that, my new cavern-home had a name.

    The Grotto was huge by gnome standards, and there was plenty of ground for Ket and I to cover. My inexperience with my god¡¯s-eye vision meant that moving around at times felt akin to being drunk ¨C a state I vaguely remembered from my time as a (presumably) flesh-and-blood being.

    I¡¯m sure I would have been far better at it had Ket just left me alone to experiment. As it was, she oversaw my every movement, and trilled excitedly every time I managed to identify a new blueprint, be it the moss carpeting the walls or the cave spiders lurking in dark corners.

    We practiced this for what felt like hours, with Ket helping to guide my focus until I no longer whizzed around uncontrollably any time I tried to alter my perspective. I was amazed at how much life there was to be found in my cave; things I¡¯d barely even noticed before.

    Insects and lizards were plentiful; there was also a squirrel that scampered down a tree root overhanging the ceiling hole, and a fox that briefly wandered in from the Grotto¡¯s single side-tunnel entrance, at the far side of the mushroom patch.

    Every creature was revealed to me and elevated in my understanding by its blue-glowing form, thanks to my Insight ability, and all of them fed me with a small but constant source of ambient mana, which I did not currently need, but was nonetheless welcome.

    Finally, we returned to my gem on its humble hillock. Gneil still stood beside me, guarding me from his impious kin.

    Why won¡¯t he leave me alone?

    I attempted to use Insight on the scruffy little gnome. But instead of a simulacrum made of glowing blue lines and useless information, I saw¡­ nothing.

    I tried again. And again. But the only gnome form I could see was the mundane one kneeling in front of me.

    ¡®Why can¡¯t I see Gneil¡¯s blueprint?¡¯ I asked Ket.

    ¡®Because, Corey,¡¯ she explained patiently, ¡®Gneil is an intelligent being, as are the other gnomes, therefore your Insight ability does not extend to him. Plants and animals ¨C in other words, non-intelligent creatures ¨C are the limit of your intrinsic understanding, I¡¯m afraid, as well as your source of ambient mana.¡¯

    Wonderful.

    As much as I disliked what Ket was telling me, I supposed it made sense ¨C though I suspected calling the gnomes ¡®intelligent¡¯ was pushing it a bit.

    ¡®If I can¡¯t replicate them, and they don¡¯t give me mana, how do Gneil and the others benefit me?¡¯

    ¡®You¡¯ll find out in just a moment. Look!¡¯

    She sounded excited. Below us, my gem had glowed a very faint red, probably in response to my frustration. Gneil had caught sight of this and moved closer.

    To my utter surprise, he proceeded to kneel in front of me. He stared down at my gem for a moment, those huge, watery eyes of his closing. Hands clasped together in front of him, he bent forward and bowed his head, the unmistakable pose of a man at prayer.

    Immediately, swirling blue lines began to flow from Gneil. Bright, strong, fast and sure, they whirled along their unseen channels from my new worshiper and into my gem. I felt their presence like a sugar rush, a nourishing boost that no doubt could not be sustained for long.

    ¡®You¡¯ve just gained your first Faithful denizen, Corey. Congratulations!¡¯ Ket beamed.

    I barely heard her. It was like being pleasantly stuffed after a meal of the finest food, except I hadn¡¯t even realized I was hungry. I would have gasped aloud, had I lungs and air to fill them. As it was, I simply lay there and glowed, basking pleasantly in the warm sensation.

    ¡®Are you¡­ purring?¡¯The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡®Maybe.¡¯ I groaned happily. ¡®Don¡¯t care. Ket¡­ what is this?¡¯

    ¡®You, Corey, have just Ascended.¡¯ She sounded smug, as though she¡¯d been the one to cause it.

    ¡®Ass-what?¡¯ I slurred, my mind befuddled by the warm fuzzy feelings enveloping me.

    ¡®Every fragment of Faith that penetrates you¡ª¡¯

    ¡®Ugh, please don¡¯t use that word¡­¡¯

    ¡®¡ª is absorbed by your gem until your current capacity is completely filled. When that happens ¨C when fulfilment occurs ¨C you Ascend.¡¯

    Confused, my mind formed a mental picture of my gem levitating in the air. When I asked Ket if she meant I¡¯d be able to float, she chuckled.

    ¡®Not physically,¡¯ she explained. ¡®Though your gem will grow slightly larger and more resilient the more powerful you become. But no floating. I mean you Ascend¡­ spiritually.¡¯

    ¡®To where?¡¯

    ¡®Not ¡®where¡¯. What.¡¯

    ¡®To what, then?¡¯ I asked.

    ¡®The next tier of godhood.¡¯

    ¡®Oh.¡¯

    ¡®Now take a closer look at Gneil and tell me what you see.¡¯

    More curious than annoyed now, I scrutinized Gneil with every ounce of focus I could muster. In addition to the blue lines flowing from gnome to gem, Gneil¡¯s kneeling form was also suffused with a warm green glow.

    This green aura was erratic, peaking and ebbing sporadically. Furthermore, the blue mana lines were already growing wispy and weak. Some even faded completely before they reached me, which I thought to be rather rude of them.

    ¡®What is this?¡¯ I asked Ket suspiciously. ¡®Why is he giving me mana now, but not before? And what¡¯s the green stuff?¡¯

    ¡®The ¡°green stuff¡±,¡¯ said the sprite, ¡®is Faith. Gneil is actively worshiping you.¡¯ Ket gestured down at the kneeling gnome. ¡®Whenever a Faithful denizen does this, they produce mana ¨C the blue lines ¨C which will replenish your own supplies. Furthermore, every Faithful gnome emits a certain amount of ambient Faith at all times ¨C the ¡°green stuff¡±.¡¯

    ¡®He¡¯s barely giving me anything,¡¯ I observed. ¡®Can¡¯t he worship a bit harder?¡¯

    Ket flared, and I felt her anger across our invisible connection. ¡®You might try to be a little more grateful for what you¡¯ve got, Corey, especially considering you¡¯ve done very little to actually earn little Gneil¡¯s Faith so far.¡¯

    I subdued my own frustration at my pathetic situation.

    Don¡¯t anger the sprite. I need her, at least for now.

    ¡®Yes. Sorry,¡¯ I muttered.

    It was enough to appease her. ¡®Yes, well, as I was saying,¡¯ she huffed, ¡®Faith is what enables you to Ascend, which in turn gives you access to new God Core abilities. Do you see the triangle on the left side of your vision?¡¯

    Now she mentioned it, I did. It was inverted; point-down. The triangle¡¯s outline was greenish and faintly glowing, and it was labelled with a symbol I didn¡¯t consciously recognize but which my mind knew represented the number two. The bottom tip of the triangle seemed to be glowing a brighter green than the rest.

    ¡®That triangle measures your progress toward Ascension,¡¯ said Ket. ¡®You reached tier two when Gneil converted to become Faithful. The next milestone is tier three. Look more closely at the triangle¡¯s point and you¡¯ll see what I mean.¡¯

    I focused on the bottom of the triangle as Ket instructed. As I¡¯d suspected, it was glowing more greenly than the rest. To my surprise, the more I stared at it, the more it seemed to fill with the green stuff. As faint parallel horizontal lines came into view, crossing the triangle in rows of striped tiers, I realized I was actually honing in on the very bottom portion of what was a very large and many-sectioned measuring device. The bottom-most section was filled with glowing greenness; everything above it was empty.

    It seemed the lines represented these so-called ¡®god tiers¡¯, and I¡¯d have to gain enough Faithful followers to fill each section before I could reach the following tier. The inverted shape of the triangle meant that every subsequent section was larger, and would therefore be harder to fill.

    Well, that¡¯s just awesome.

    I glanced across from the triangle over to the mana globe on my right ¨C no, two mana globes now. A second one had appeared, just above the first and connected by a narrow aperture.

    ¡®I¡¯ve got another mana globe!¡¯ I exclaimed.

    ¡®That¡¯s right! And if you take a look at your gem, you might notice why¡­¡¯

    Wondering why she sounded so pleased with herself, I eyed my gem ¨C and yelped. ¡®Did I get¡­ bigger?¡¯

    The sprite sniggered. ¡®Just a little. Like I said earlier, each time you Ascend, your gem will expand, which increases your mana capacity. This is visually represented by the amount of globes you have.¡¯

    The new globe was paler and almost transparent ¨C empty, I realized ¨C but was slowly beginning to fill up with pulsing blue mana.

    ¡®So I now have two mana globes instead of one. One globe for each tier?¡¯

    ¡®That¡¯s right, Corey.¡¯ Ket sounded pleased. ¡®And the new globe should already be filling as a result of the mana you¡¯re gaining from Gneil¡¯s worship. Ascension is a wonderful thing, no?¡¯

    It was indeed ¨C though, disappointingly, the pleasant feeling it had given me had almost entirely faded by now. Still, the receding euphoria allowed me to better concentrate on what Ket had just said.

    ¡®So these ¡®tiers¡¯,¡¯ I said. ¡®They¡¯re sort of¡­ internal milestones?¡¯

    ¡®Correct.¡¯

    ¡®And I have to reach these in order to gain new powers?¡¯

    ¡®Correct.¡¯

    ¡®And the only way to reach these milestones ¨C these god tiers ¨C is by filling the triangle with Faith, which can only be done by gaining more worshipers?¡¯

    ¡®Correct again! Smart rock.¡¯ Ket glowed proudly at my understanding.

    I didn¡¯t feel very smart. My mind whirled with all these new revelations. Learning so much ¨C first the god¡¯s-eye vision and Insight ability, then all the ambient mana stuff, and now Ascension and Faith ¨C in so short a time was messing with my brain, wherever that was situated now.

    Suddenly, Gneil clambered to his feet. A moment later, I saw why: another gnome had appeared on our hillock, a female this time, judging by the wispiness of her beard.

    I tensed, assuming she¡¯d come to fling fungi like the others, but it seemed she wasn¡¯t interested in me. Bent-backed and wizened, she spared not a glance at my gem, instead hobbling straight toward Gneil.

 Chapter 6: Growing Pains

    The elderly gnome plucked at my disciple¡¯s ragged tunic with crooked, dirty fingers and gestured toward the far corner of the cavern, where the mushrooms¡¯ shadowy forms lurked. Reluctantly, Gneil threw one last, lingering glance at my gem before trudging off with the old woman.

    ¡®What does old Granny here think she¡¯s doing? Gneil¡¯s mine!¡¯ I exclaimed, outraged.

    ¡®Gneil still has a job to do, Corey,¡¯ said Ket calmly. ¡®The gnomes¡¯ world doesn¡¯t revolve around you, you know. Yet.¡¯

    The two of them headed down the hillock and across the stream, the ancient female shuffling ahead, Gneil plodding along behind her until they passed beneath the mushrooms¡¯ canopy. Still a bit annoyed at losing my lone, apparently part-time, worshiper, I followed them, mulling over what Ket had told me about ¡®god tiers¡¯.

    ¡®So I have access to new skills now I¡¯ve reached tier two?¡¯ I asked her. ¡®What are they?¡¯

    ¡®Hold on. I¡¯ll show you.¡¯

    There was a faint glow, and then tiny silver writing shone in front of me. The arcane symbols hovered in the air, just like the Faith hourglass and the mana globes, and the blueprints that appeared whenever I used Insight.

    Ket saw me ogling and explained, ¡®As a god, you have the power to augment reality ¨C though only in limited ways ¨C using this.¡¯ She gestured at the glowing silver words. I stared at them, mesmerized.

    ¡®And what exactly is ¡°this¡±?¡¯

    ¡®I like to call it the Augmentary. It contains a wealth of information, and provides you with a toolkit with which to influence the world around you. You can view it at will.¡¯

    ¡®The Augmentary?¡¯

    ¡®Yes. As I¡¯ve said, with each god tier you Ascend to, you¡¯ll gain new abilities. You can view and keep track of these new abilities in your Augmentary, which only you and I are able to see. What you¡¯re looking at right now are the abilities ¨C or ¡®augments¡¯ ¨C you¡¯ve learned so far.¡¯

    ¡®I thought you said I couldn¡¯t forget that stuff?¡¯ I asked as I scanned the short list.

    ¡®You can¡¯t,¡¯ she replied. ¡®But sometimes it helps with problem solving to have your options laid out in front of you. You¡¯ll see.¡¯

    ¡®Mhm.¡¯ I squinted at the bottom of the list. ¡®Growth?¡¯

    ¡®Ah, yes! Your newest ability. And a very useful one, might I add.¡¯

    ¡®Growth,¡¯ I read aloud from the silvery writing. ¡®Tier two ability. Enhances and accelerates the growth of vegetation, including fungi. Wait ¨C vegetation?¡¯ I protested. ¡®That doesn¡¯t sound very god-like. You told me I¡¯m to be the god of gnomes, not the god of mushrooms.¡¯

    ¡®Yes, Corey,¡¯ said Ket patiently, ¡®but there are many ways in which you can help the gnomes. Growth is one of them.¡¯

    The sprite gestured toward Gneil and the elderly female, now scrubbing about among the mushrooms.

    ¡®These little guys might not look like much, but imagine the things they could accomplish if they didn¡¯t have to spend quite so much time on tasks they¡¯re clearly not trained to do! Growth could be used to make the lives of Gneil and Granny ¨C as you call her ¨C just that little bit easier.¡¯

    I watched Granny hand Gneil the tiniest bucket I¡¯d ever seen. Calling it a ¡®bucket¡¯ was optimistic; it was barely even a container, a battered scrap of bent metal with some string attached. Gneil took it from her and ambled down to the stream at his usual snail¡¯s pace while she chivvied him on from afar, leaning on a knobby walking stick. Their progress was almost painful to watch. My sprite had a point. Growth would come in very useful here, if you cared about that sort of thing. Besides, hadn¡¯t Ket said that the healthier the life form, the stronger the flow of ambient mana into my gem? All I had to do was cast Growth on these mushrooms and I¡¯d instantly become more powerful ¨C not to mention impress the other gnomes, heretical wretches though they were.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    I thought about asking Ket how to do it, but decided I was tired of being told what to do. Surely I could figure this out without the need for a lecture. I blinked away the silver symbols of the Augmentary and got to work.

    First, I accessed my mana. It was surprisingly easy; a cool, blue pool waiting calmly in the back of my mind. A little over one entire globe, just waiting to be used.

    Picking a mushroom at random, I focused and thought hard about what I¡¯d just read about the Growth ability, expecting to summon up more symbols that would instruct me what to do next. Instead, another blueprint appeared, covering the mushroom in much the same way as it had earlier when I¡¯d first experimented with Insight.

    Here goes, I thought, reaching for the first time toward that source of juicy mana. Growth!

    To my alarm, the blueprint instantly began growing. So too did the mushroom beneath it, as though the blue lines were a net being pulled, stretching the fungus until it was twice as tall as the others ¨C no, three times taller ¨C no, four times taller.

    In the corner of my vision, I noticed my mana already beginning to deplete at a shockingly rapid rate. I¡¯d been using Growth for barely a handful of seconds, yet the first globe of mana ¨C the one at the bottom ¨C was already halfway empty. I recalled Ket¡¯s earlier warning ¨C ¡®You must never expend all of your mana at once, otherwise your gem will shatter¡¯ ¨C and began to panic.

    Ket¡¯s answering trill of alarm was drowned out by an ominous wooden crack. Time stood still as the mushroom¡¯s stalk snapped beneath the sudden and unexpected weight, then, with a splintering creak, the bulk of the mushroom came toppling down ¨C straight toward where Gneil and Granny loitered, gawking.

    ¡®Corey, no!¡¯

    At the sound of Ket¡¯s voice, I tore my gaze away, desperately seeking a way to stop the parasitic ability ¨C which was still in effect, despite its destructive impact on its target ¨C from sucking away the rest of my mana. I now had less than a quarter of a globe remaining.

    Luckily, as soon as I stopped looking at the blueprint, my connection to the mushroom ceased, and my mana level stabilized. Just in time, too ¨C there was barely a fraction of the globe left.

    The monstrous fungus hit the ground with a thud. Feeling dizzy and sick from the near miss with my mana, I braced myself for what I was about to see. Two pairs of still, grubby gnome feet sticking out from beneath the colossal mushroom carcass, most likely.

    I saw them. Gneil and Granny were sprawled in a heap beneath the mushroom, as I¡¯d feared ¨C but thankfully they were cowering in the gap between the stalk and the ground created by the edge of the mushroom¡¯s giant cap. They climbed to their feet, shaken but clearly unhurt.

    Relieved I¡¯d managed to avoid squishing my only source of worship, I looked around for Ket, already anticipating a furious lecture about the irresponsible use of my new powers, or some such.

    The sprite hovered beside me, her glow somewhat dimmer than usual. I braced myself for a tirade.

    ¡®Don¡¯t ever do something like that again without consulting me first,¡¯ she scolded squeakily. Then she burst into delighted laughter and began to bounce around. ¡®But you did it! You used Growth! And all by yourself, too. I¡¯m so proud of you!¡¯

    ¡®Wait. You¡¯re not mad?¡¯ I relaxed a little.

    ¡®Well, it would have been nice ¨C and decidedly less traumatic for the little ones ¨C if you¡¯d checked with me first,¡¯ she pointed out, gesturing to where Gneil and Granny huddled together, peering at the fallen behemoth in suspicious wonder. I felt a twinge of guilt, which I immediately bit back against.

    ¡®They¡¯re both fine!¡¯ I said defensively. It was true. Granted, they had very nearly not been fine, but still.

    I sensed Ket preparing to argue. ¡®They¡¯re fine,¡¯ I said again, ¡®and that¡¯s all that matters.¡¯

    ¡®I had no idea you cared so much about them.¡¯

    She said this with more than a touch of sarcasm. Still, how dare she insinuate that I felt anything other than vague revulsion ¨C or at best, tolerance ¨C for these creatures?

    ¡®Caring has nothing to do with it,¡¯ I replied loftily. ¡®Gneil is my only source of worship right now. Of course I¡¯m glad he didn¡¯t just die.¡¯

    ¡®Whatever you say, Corey. Well, you may have ruined his mushroom patch, but he seems happy enough. And so does Granny! Look!¡¯

    Grinning like an idiot, Gneil handed Granny his miserable bucket, which he¡¯d somehow kept hold of all this time. He said something to the old woman, then both he and Granny turned to stare across the cavern at my hillock, their eyes shining. Both gnomes fell to their knees ¨C Granny more slowly than Gneil, though no less surely ¨C and began to worship.

    My mana began to slowly replenish. Even better, in addition to those blue lines of mana, the telltale green aura of Faith also began to shine from Granny for the first time. I¡¯d gained my second Faithful denizen!

    In the bottom left corner of my vision, the green triangle suddenly glowed brightly. The second tier had filled entirely, and now the number on the triangle read ¡®three¡¯.

    Ecstasy that transcended physical sensation swept through every molecule of my being, a sudden inrush of blissfulness telling me I¡¯d Ascended once again, this time to tier three.

    Oh, I could get used to this.

    ¡®Look at them,¡¯ Ket crooned. ¡®Aren¡¯t you happy to be their god now, Corey?¡¯

    ¡®Yes,¡¯ I murmured, still floating on a cloud of rapture. ¡®Yes, I suppose I am.¡¯

 Chapter 7: Raid!

    ¡®Tier three, hm?¡¯ I murmured to myself once the euphoria of Ascension had subsided. Three was still a low number, but it was another step on the road to power ¨C and hopefully gaining enough of it to eventually escape my damnable gem, and become a being of flesh and blood once more.

    What new ability have I gained this time? I wondered. Am I now a master of the elements? Earth? Wind?

    I glanced toward the settlement where Gneil¡¯s detractors still went about their daily business in complete ignorance.

    Fire? I thought hopefully.

    Before I could check, though, the green triangle ¨C my ¡®Faith triangle¡¯ ¨C caught my attention. Something didn¡¯t add up.

    ¡®Hang on,¡¯ I said to Ket. ¡®Since the triangle is inverted, that should mean each new tier needs more Faith to fill it than the tiers before. If Gneil alone got me to tier two, how come it only took Granny to get me to tier three? Shouldn¡¯t I have needed more?¡¯

    ¡®Good question, Corey,¡¯ the sprite complimented me. ¡®In theory, that¡¯s correct. Each tier requires an increasingly large amount of Faith to attain it. However,¡¯ she gestured at Gneil¡¯s faint green aura, ¡®an individual denizen¡¯s Faith levels can fluctuate. By demonstrating your powers on that mushroom ¨C and then saving Gneil and Granny¡¯s lives ¨C you inspired Gneil to even greater heights of worship, which ¨C along with Granny¡¯s new Faith ¨C provided enough to push you into tier three.¡¯

    Huh. So it wasn¡¯t just about converting new worshipers. I could also increase my power ¨C and hasten my path to escaping this ridiculous new life of mine ¨C by impressing those who were already Faithful. That¡¯s handy.

    ¡®Are you planning to bask in the glory of your Ascension all day, or are you going to look at your new abilities?¡¯ Ket prompted teasingly.

    Shaking off the distraction of yet more new information, I summoned the Augmentary ¨C that silvery repository of knowledge ¨C with a mental blink and honed in on the newest addition to my list of augments.

    ¡®Creation,¡¯ I read aloud. ¡®Tier three ability; mana-based. Create god-born creatures by splicing the blueprints of identified life forms.¡¯

    Ket watched me, waiting for my reaction. ¡®What do you think? Sound good?¡¯

    Hmm.

    I had to say, ¡®splicing¡¯ sounded pretty sinister. But¡­ the power to create new creatures? Living creatures? The chance to literally ¡®play god¡¯? Damn right I liked the sound of that.

    ¡®When can we start?¡¯ I asked.

    Say one thing about me, say I¡¯d learned from my mistakes. The Growth debacle was fresh in my memory, and no way was I about to jump into new territory again without first consulting Ket. Thankfully, she seemed as keen to get started as I was.

    ¡®Creation is really quite simple,¡¯ she began. ¡®Essentially, you choose two blueprints¡ª¡¯

    ¡®Any two?¡¯

    ¡®Yes. You select the blueprints from your Augmentary, drag them together to combine them, and voila! You¡¯ve got yourself a god-born creature.¡¯

    ¡®Well, that seems easy enough,¡¯ I said.

    ¡®Well¡­ it is a bit more complicated than that. Ideally, you¡¯ll want to spend some time choosing which aspects of each creature to combine, for a start. When it¡¯s done properly, the whole process is actually quite time consuming, and you¡¯ll no doubt have plenty of experimenting ahead of you. But the first step is choosing a combination, so let¡¯s begin with that.¡¯

    I located my memorized blueprints and cycled through the options.

    Cave spider.

    Fern.

    Bolete mushroom.

    Squirrel.

    Earthworm.

    Fox.

    Moss.

    Bat.

    All the while, Ket continued to dispense advice.

    ¡®It¡¯s always best if you choose practical, logical combinations,¡¯ she cautioned. ¡®Something you can use to populate the outer tunnels of your Sphere of Influence and effectively protect this cavern from enemy incursions.¡¯

    My attention drifted away from Ket¡¯s instructions and back to my Augmentary, distracted by all the possibilities. In my mind, I toyed with several variations. Ket had said it should be practical, so how about¡­ a mush-bat? A combination of a mushroom and a bat, able to fly from soil patch to soil patch and put down roots wherever it liked. Or perhaps a moss-spider, camouflaged against the cavern¡¯s green walls and just waiting to drop down onto anything that happened to wander in and threaten my diminutive denizens.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    But I couldn¡¯t quite bring myself to actually choose any of them. Mushroom-bats? Moss-spiders? What was I thinking? This would be my first ever creation. It should be something fierce; something special. Something impressive.

    Basically, the opposite of a gnome.

    I tuned out Ket¡¯s blather about ¡®practicality¡¯ and ¡®logic¡¯ and looked again at my options. They were frustratingly limited ¨C and worse, mundane.

    I¡¯ve had to make do with less, I reminded myself, thinking of Gneil the mushroom-whispering pariah. It¡¯s not about what you¡¯ve got; it¡¯s what you choose to do with it.

    Still, size mattered, and the largest of my available blueprints was by far the fox. I took a moment to admire its complex web of blue threads, millions of them. So much life beneath the surface; so many incredible connections beneath that sheath of muscle and skin and fur.

    I selected the fox blueprint and considered my remaining choice. How about a cave spider? A spider-fox would be downright terrifying to an unsuspecting intruder, sure to deter anyone ¨C or anything ¨C that might happen to be heading our way with trouble in mind.

    I hovered over the cave spider blueprint, almost certain of my decision. It didn¡¯t quite fit with what Ket had been talking about, but it would (hopefully) provide a great line of defense in the event of an¡ª

    ¡®Attack!¡¯ Ket cried.

    ¡®What?¡¯ The blueprints and silvery Augmentary symbols dissolved, my concentration shattered. I raised myself higher and stared around wildly. ¡®Where?¡¯

    The last word was barely spoken when I spotted them: two-legged creatures, pouring from the lone tunnel entrance on the far side of the mushroom patch. Muscular, scaly and vaguely draconic, the monsters wore ragged loincloths and carried primitive spears, roughly-woven nets and curving blades.

    ¡®Kobolds!¡¯ hissed Ket, though I¡¯d already recognized them.

    Easily head and shoulders taller than my gnomes ¨C whose village they were now heading toward ¨C the kobolds swarmed across the Grotto, making strange barking noises as they came. Their reddish scales were dull, their narrow eyes black and wicked-looking, and the curved talons on their scaly feet looked sharp enough to easily eviscerate the soft, doughy flesh of my helpless gnomes.

    But the kobolds weren¡¯t attacking. Instead, when they reached the settlement, they began darting between the shabby tents, snatching up wandering gnomes and then immediately retreating with their prizes tucked underneath their red-scaled arms.

    ¡®What¡¯s going on, Ket? What do I do?¡¯

    To my dismay, the gnomes did not fight back, nor did they even attempt to run away. Some fell to their knees at the sight of the oncoming brutes, but most simply stood still and allowed themselves to be carried off. Not one of them made so much as a noise of protest. It was all happening so quickly.

    ¡®There isn¡¯t much we can do, Corey. Not right now, anyway.¡¯ Ket sounded sad, as resigned to what was going on as the gnomes were to their own fate.

    One of the kobolds, taller and burlier than the others, barked out a command. Immediately, the remaining kobolds ¨C those who hadn¡¯t already run away with their gnomish spoils ¨C skulked back out of the settlement and toward the tunnel entrance whence they¡¯d first appeared, some with gnomes slung over their shoulders, others without. They all yipped and growled like dogs as they barreled back across the cavern.

    Their commander followed more slowly, staring around arrogantly as though daring any of the remaining gnomes to challenge it. For a moment its gaze seemed to linger on my gem, small and distant though it was, and I felt a flicker of fear. What if it could see me? What if it decided to take the purple shiny for itself?

    Finally, though, the kobold commander let out one last bark and darted into the tunnel after its kin.

    The faint yipping echoes from the tunnel faded, and for a time there was silence in the cavern. Gradually, the gnomes who¡¯d fallen to the ground began to pick themselves up. They walked back to their tents in a daze, or returned to whatever they¡¯d been doing before the kobolds arrived. At least a dozen of their fellows had just been taken. Their lethargic reactions seemed¡­ wrong. How could they be so damned apathetic?

    Ket sensed my incredulity. ¡®As you can see, your denizens are accustomed to these sorts of raids,¡¯ she said quietly. ¡®Hence their low numbers and lack of morale.¡¯

    This wouldn¡¯t do. This wouldn¡¯t do at all. I hadn¡¯t even had chance to convert them to the Church of Corey yet, and now a full fifth of the population was gone. There now looked to be barely eighty gnomes remaining in the Grotto.

    ¡®We have to make sure this doesn¡¯t happen again,¡¯ I said, trying to sound determined rather than unnerved.

    ¡®I agree,¡¯ said Ket. ¡®Poor things.¡¯

    Poor me, I wanted to say, but a commotion in the mushroom patch caught my attention.

    One of the kobolds ¨C a straggler left behind by the main horde ¨C had found Gneil and dragged him out from his hiding spot amongst the mushrooms. My disciple cowered before his captor, who kicked him hard in the ribs. Crocodilian jaws set into a smirk, the kobold easily hefted Gneil and slung him over its shoulder like a sack of flour.

    I thought wildly of using Growth, of creating a forest of towering mushrooms that would fall in front of the kobold thug and stop it in its tracks. But there was no way I had enough mana to accomplish anything of the sort. Though I had three available globes now, the third ¨C which had appeared the instant I reached tier three ¨C was still empty, as was most of the second globe, despite the mana I¡¯d regained from Granny and Gneil¡¯s recent worship.

    Damn those kobolds for interrupting it!

    Down in the mushroom patch, the kobold carrying Gneil had just turned to face the tunnel when Granny lurched out from behind a mushroom. Arms outstretched, a shovel clutched in both hands, she dove toward the enemy¡¯s legs with a hoarse cry.

    The shovel connected with the back of the kobold¡¯s left knee with a satisfying crunch. The kobold gave a bloodcurdling yowl and dropped to one knee, Gneil shifting dangerously on its shoulder.

    ¡®Yes!¡¯

    Triumph flared inside me. But as Granny straightened up and moved in for another blow, the kobold twisted and grabbed her wrists with its free hand. Its claws sank in and blood welled over her skin, but she did not cry out, not even when the kobold got to its feet, lifting her off the ground by her pinned wrists. It bared knife-sharp teeth in Granny¡¯s face, then with seemingly little effort, flung her at the nearest mushroom.

    Granny flew through the air, limbs flailing. She smashed against the mushroom¡¯s stalk and then crumpled to the ground where she lay, unmoving.

    Gneil let out a strangled cry, craning his neck to see what had happened to Granny. The kobold gave him a vicious shake, then turned and limped away down the tunnel with its gnomish prize, blood trickling down the back of one leg.

 Chapter 8: The Fast and the Furry

    ¡®They stole Gneil!¡¯ Disbelief filled me, quickly replaced by horror, then outrage. ¡®What do I do, Ket?¡¯

    I knew the answer even before she replied, ¡®Creation. Quickly!¡¯

    I tried to stay calm as I blinked open the Augmentary once more. If I¡¯d had hands, they¡¯d have been shaking badly. Luckily, I needed only my thoughts to negotiate my way through to the blueprints, and a moment later I had the fox before me once again.

    Scanning through the other options, I picked the one that stood out to me the most ¨C the cave spider ¨C and selected it, ready to combine with the fox.

    Not quite knowing what to do next, I hurriedly cried, ¡®Creation!¡¯ and dragged the blueprints together.

    Nothing happened.

    ¡®Foolish rock!¡¯ scolded Ket. ¡®You don¡¯t have enough mana right now to mix vertebrates and invertebrates! Weren¡¯t you listening to a word I was saying earlier?¡¯

    Truthfully, no, but her tone suggested that admitting as much might be the last thing I ever did. ¡®Verter-whats?¡¯

    ¡®Bones, Corey. The mana cost for combining creatures that have internal skeletons with creatures that don¡¯t is much higher than you can afford right now.¡¯

    Well, that¡¯s inconvenient.

    I reconsidered my options.

    ¡®Hurry!¡¯ Ket moaned.

    ¡®I¡¯m trying!¡¯

    The cave spider was now out of the question; without a larger creature to combine it with, there was probably no way it would be capable of bringing down a squirrel, let alone a kobold raider.

    Speaking of squirrels¡­

    ¡®Now, Corey!¡¯

    ¡®Ugh!¡¯

    I mentally gritted my teeth and selected the only remaining option that made sense: the squirrel.

    Just like when I¡¯d cast Growth, I saw ¨C and felt ¨C my mana rush out of me as the two blueprints combined. Even though the Augmentary showed me exactly how much mana the ability would cost me in this particular instance ¨C precisely one globe¡¯s worth ¨C I still felt a twinge of panic as I watched it drain away, leaving me with barely a fifth of a globe to my name.

    As my mana poured into them, the two blueprints entwined, merged, and then began to change. The blue lines and symbols moved faster, faster, blurring and brightening until they became a blinding silver mass. I recoiled weakly, but remained focused on it, hoping, pleading.

    Please be the size of a fox. Please be the size of a¡ª

    The glowing mass spat out a creature. It dropped to the ground, landing lightly on all fours and then sitting back on its haunches. Russet fur coated most of its lithe body; its belly, throat and pointed muzzle were white. The legs ¨C long and slender ¨C were black all the way down to its clawed feet, as though the creature had just waded through tar.

    All in all, it looked very much like a fox, though perhaps not quite as large. The only concessions to its squirrel parentage were the beady black eyes, furry finger-like toes, and tufted ears sticking up vertically from the top of its head. Oh, and the tail. To call it ¡®bushy¡¯ would have been an understatement; it lay curled around the creature¡¯s feet, almost the length of its entire body, and looked fluffy enough to be harboring several baby birds.

    Disappointment quickly began seeping in.

    It doesn¡¯t look very dangerous.

    The creature sneezed, falling over its own black-fur-tipped feet to plop onto its rump, a surprised look upon its face.

    We don¡¯t have time for this. That kobold still has Gneil!

    ¡®Ket, how do I make it go?¡¯ I asked.

    The squirrel-fox ¨C squox? Forrel? ¨C quirked its head to one side as though listening.

    ¡®Can¡­ can it hear me?¡¯

    Its eyes narrowed.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡®Go!¡¯ I commanded it.

    It cocked its head to one side, back legs twitching as though about to spring. Then it lifted a leg to scratch behind its ear.

    ¡®No! What are you doing, you half-witted ball of fluff?!¡¯

    What if that kobold fancied an afternoon snack en route and decided to chow down on Gneil? My disciple might be being devoured at this very moment!

    I focused all my mental energy into flinging the command at my flea-ridden creation:

    ¡®Go.¡¯

    The raised leg jerked back to the ground and the squirrel-fox sprang forward. Muscles bunched and stretched beneath sleek red fur as my new creation sprinted down the tunnel in the wake of the kobolds.

    I followed, and was several feet into the passage before I realized: ¡®I¡¯m outside my Sphere of Influence!¡¯

    ¡®No, you¡¯re not!¡¯ Ket sang back happily, easily keeping pace with me and my squirrel-fox. ¡®Each time you Ascend, your Sphere of Influence expands.¡¯

    Splendid!

    The squirrel-fox ¨C forrel, I decided ¨C showed no signs of slowing, not even for corners. When it encountered a bend in the tunnel it leapt up and ran along the wall, toes splayed and claws somehow finding purchase on the damp rock.

    Within seconds we caught sight of a distant silhouette. Its shoulders were burdened with a lumpy shape and it jogged awkwardly, as though limping. A thrill ran through me ¨C we¡¯d caught the bugger! ¨C and I urged the forrel even faster.

    ¡®What happens if I go outside of it?¡¯ I panted to Ket. I wasn¡¯t actually exhausted or out of breath, of course, but old habits die hard, and it seemed exercise had never really been one of mine. ¡®My Sphere of Influence, I mean. What if I leave it?¡¯

    ¡®You can¡¯t leave your Sphere. It¡¯s not possible.¡¯ She said this like it was the most obvious thing in the world. ¡®If you or any of your god-born creatures tries¡ª¡¯

    She broke off with a gasp as the forrel smacked into an invisible barrier and rebounded, tumbling over and over from the force of the impact.

    ¡®¡ªthat will happen,¡¯ finished Ket.

    I gaped at the squirrel-fox as it staggered to its feet, then I eased myself along the passage to the point where it had been repelled. True enough, I found my own way blocked by an unseen force, like a stiff, transparent curtain. I pushed myself against it, tentatively at first, then harder, but it was no use. There was no getting through.

    ¡®What now?¡¯ I watched helplessly as the kobold limped further and further away. We were so close!

    ¡®I was saving this for later, but¡­ use your Augmentary. Look underneath Creation.¡¯

    ¡®What?¡¯

    ¡®Quick!¡¯

    I skimmed down to the bottom of my list of abilities. There, nestled beneath Creation, was what appeared to be some kind of sub-ability.

    ¡®Avatar,¡¯ I read hastily. ¡®Tier three ability; no mana cost. Choose one god-born creature to become your avatar.¡¯

    ¡®Do it, Corey!¡¯

    ¡®Wait! What¡¯s an avatar?¡¯

    She made a strangled, exasperated noise. ¡®It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s the physical incarnation of your divine will. Your representative, if you like. Now hurry!¡¯

    ¡®This thing? But it¡¯s just a forrel!¡¯

    I stared down at the fox-like creature. It flicked one tufted ear at me and swayed on its haunches, still dazed from its impact with my Sphere¡¯s boundary. This was to be my champion? Really?

    Ket made a noise almost too high for me to hear, and I immediately tried to recoil. The sound hit me like the mental equivalent of a backhand slap.

    ¡®Corey, are you seriously considering letting Gneil¡¯s kidnapper get away, just because you think this¡­ forrel¡­ isn¡¯t impressive enough to be your avatar?¡¯

    The sprite was right: I was considering it. But I was also watching half of my entire source of worship moving further and further away on the shoulders of a limping kobold. There¡¯s always a choice, I¡¯d told Ket earlier. Now, it seemed making this thing into my avatar was the only smart choice available to me.

    ¡®Corey¡­¡¯

    ¡®Fine. Fine!¡¯

    Unsure what to expect, I focused on the confused-looking squirrel-fox and thought, ¡®Avatar.¡¯

    Immediately, its appearance began to change. Its forelegs bent into elbows, now resembling the furry arms of a squirrel more than the legs of a fox. Its back legs lengthened; it writhed, rolling onto its back, where I couldn¡¯t help but notice ¡®it¡¯ was actually a ¡®she¡¯. Then, with one smooth movement, my new avatar flipped herself upright so that she was standing on two legs.

    I gaped as she took a few tottering steps, her bushy white-tipped tail curling up to compensate for her lack of balance. Her dark eyes shone with intelligence as she surveyed her surroundings from her new bipedal vantage.

    To my delight, the avatar tentatively began moving down the tunnel again without instruction. Once she passed the point where she had previously hit the barrier ¨C in other words, once she¡¯d left the limits of my Sphere of Influence ¨C she broke into a run. Forgetting my own limitations, I instinctively tried to follow, only to meet the same invisible resistance that had knocked the squirrel-fox onto her back just moments ago.

    Trapped, helpless, I watched anxiously as my avatar sprinted off into the distance.

    She moved a little unsteadily on her new legs, but the avatar was still far quicker than the injured kobold raider. In a matter of moments she had caught up to the distant enemy. I squinted from afar, but could see nothing more than a sudden entangling of two-legged silhouettes, hear nothing but the scuffle of bodies and a series of furious barks which could have come from either combatant.

    Already accustomed to seeing everything with my god¡¯s-eye vision, I found this new blindness unbearable.

    ¡®What¡¯s happening, Ket?¡¯ I moaned. If I¡¯d still had hands and a head, I¡¯d have been pulling my hair out. ¡®What¡¯s happening?¡¯

    If Gneil was lost, I¡¯d have no means of gaining the power I needed to escape from my gem. I¡¯d be stuck in the Grotto forever ¨C if the remaining gnomes didn¡¯t try to smash me first, that was. Superstitious buggers.

    A pained squeal tore me from my thoughts, apparently signaling the end of the fight.

    All was still. No movement and no sound came from down the tunnel.

    They¡¯re all dead, I thought despairingly.

    ¡®Corey,¡¯ said Ket softly. I barely heard her.

    My first worshiper, dead. My avatar, dead, and only minutes after I created her. What sort of a god am I?

    Stupid universe. Why put me in such an unwinnable position?

    ¡®Corey!¡¯

    Snapping out of my maudlin reverie, I scanned the tunnel for whatever Ket was trying to draw my attention to. Given my current luck it was probably more kobolds, returning for another raid.

    But the two-legged shape emerging from the darkness was not a kobold.