by Demi Harper
And anyway, at this point we need all the help we can get.
But first…
I glanced at my seven full globes of mana, stacked vertically in the right side of my vision. They glowed blue and bright, pulsing tantalizingly. They may as well have been whispering, ‘Use us.’
I’d already used Evolution to grant my avatar improved regeneration. Was I tempting fate by risking it again – especially after my recent debacle with the forrels?
No risk, no reward. It’s not as though she uses up any Creation slots. And we’ll need every advantage we can get in the coming fight.
Besides, Ris’kin is mostly fox. It’ll be fine… right?
I shoved away my doubts, focusing on Ris’kin and activating Evolution on her once more. It didn’t matter that my thirty Creation slots were full; as my avatar, Ris’kin was not counted as a god-born, and therefore did not take up slots like my regular creatures did.
Last time, evolving Ris’kin with the specific ability to regenerate had taken hours. Now, though, there simply wasn’t enough time for me to bring up her blueprints and carefully sift through the arcane information to find the right parts to enhance. This time, I did what I’d done with my regular god-born creatures: poured mana into her and hoped for the best.
One by one, my seven mana globes began to drain. ‘Hurry… hurry!’ I muttered, aware that multiple parties of kobold raiders were advancing with every second that passed.
To my immense relief, the fox blueprint dominated Ris’kin’s transformation. Within minutes, her slender but strong body began to lengthen; she stood taller, still lithe but with the suggestion of muscles now evident beneath the thick russet-and-white fur.
Her intelligent eyes lightened from black to a deep amber, rimmed with coal. Her ears grew more pointed, their tufted red fur shortening and blackening, and her muzzle – now also tipped with black – extended, as did her gloriously lethal canines.
My avatar’s new form was more powerful, more streamlined, and more… well, just more. In short, she looked like a true hunter.
Curiously, there was one squirrel-like trait that had survived the Evolution process. Ris’kin’s forepaws had altered, the toes elongating and separating into white-furred fingers.
Her claws were still knife-sharp and lethal, but even as I watched, they retracted from view, newly developed tendons and ligaments enabling the avatar to pull them back into sheaths beneath the skin. I realized with excitement that this, combined with her new prehensile fingers, would now allow her to wield weapons, should she so desire.
I wasn’t the only one admiring the avatar’s new and improved features. Nearby, the four non-Faithful gnomes who were still laboring – under Granny’s instructions – to bring bucketfuls of clay to the brickyard had all stopped to stare as soon as they caught sight of Ris’kin undergoing her physical changes.
Two of them immediately dropped to their knees, their new green aura glowing as they gazed at my empowered avatar, their eyes wide with wonder.
Predictably, Swift and Cheer were not so impressed. Unlike their fellows, these two simply stared at Ris’kin impassively. Then they both shrugged and continued on their way, buckets knocking clumsily against their legs as they stumped toward the stream.
‘There’s no pleasing some people,’ I muttered, turning my attention back to Ris’kin.
My avatar was facing the tunnel once again, and I could sense her eagerness to join the coming fight. Her new physique told me that she was, without a doubt, ready for action.
Then the edges of my vision started to blur with a now-familiar darkness.
Not now, you bastard!
Wait, I told Ris’kin, dread sinking into my gut. She tilted her head and bared her teeth just as my enemy’s hated voice spoke in my mind.
Greetings, little god.
I’d just about had enough of this smug git.
‘Back off, Grimrock,’ I called through our mental connection, my fear and frustration manifesting on the surface as bravado. ‘I don’t think you realize: I’m way more powerful than before. Best retreat while you still can.’
I am… aware of your personal advancement.
What?
In fact, Grimrock continued, I really must congratulate you. Your reach has expanded much further since the last time we exchanged words. As has mine.
‘You mean when you sent your sneaky little spies to sound out the boundaries of my Sphere? Don’t think I didn’t notice. And after all your talk of alliances and advice, too. I was right not to trust your treacherous hide, you big liar.’
Now, now. I compliment you, and you insult me in return? Not polite, little god, not polite at all.
‘Politeness be damned! You threatened me! You had raiders waiting to attack my settlement even as we spoke – and they might have succeeded if not for a group of human adventurers!’
Oh, come now. Have a little more faith in your own creations. Surely your overgrown lizard-fish would have at least impeded my forces—
‘It’s a boulderskin, actually,’ I snapped, hating the indignation in my own voice. ‘And you should watch out – I’ve sent those humans your way. They have a mage, you know.’
When in doubt, bluff.
Oh, come now, little god. I know the humans aren’t yours.
Damn.
As weak as they are, Grimrock continued smoothly, you yourself are even weaker, and lack the control to rule over such an advanced race.
‘Fine. They’re not mine. But you should know they were sent by the Guild. You might want to keep your forces a little closer to home, just in case.’
The Guild are nothing. They have tried to destroy me before, and I have thwarted them every time. This mage of theirs is no match for me.
A nagging voice in the back of my mind was whispering, How did he know about the boulderskin?
I pushed it down; I couldn’t afford to look weak, and there was no greater admission of weakness than asking questions.
‘That mage managed to turn every single one of your kobolds into ashes with a single fireball. Are you absolutely sure you can handle him and his companions?’
You try to bluster and deflect, little god, but you lack the skill to convince me, said Grimrock coolly. You hide behind a wall of false confidence, yet your illusion of safety is entirely unfounded. You think you are protected by your pitiful creations? Then you are foolish. Do not let your pathetic victories cloud your better judgment. None of you are safe. Not even your… what was it you called it? Boulderskin.
I had no reply, his words chilling me.
Good luck, little god. You’re going to need it.
And with that, he faded away. My vision returned to normal, and I saw Ket hovering in front of me, emitting a concerned buzzing sound.
‘Grimrock again?’ She sounded as though she were putting on a brave face, but I could tell she was terrified; even just his name instilled some deep fear into her. ‘What did he say?’
‘Hang on a moment.’ I paused to listen to the tugs and twitches from my skelemander scouts, trepidation settling even deeper into my being. ‘The first group of raiders is nearly here.’
As we zipped through stone and air to get to the Sinkhole, I thought back to my conversation with the power-hungry Core. More than a few things Grimrock had said had left a bad taste in my mind, but one or two in particular bothered me most of all.
‘I tried to bluff by telling him I was stronger now,’ I told Ket. ‘Weirdly, he seemed pleased about it.’
‘What?’
‘Yeah. And he knows about at least one of my boulderskins, too.’
‘But how?’
I had no idea, and for now, it didn’t matter.
We reached the Sinkhole at the same time as the kobolds started to creep in from the passage. Just like before, they filed in one by one, creeping along the edge of the cavern on the opposite side to the flooded rift. And just like before, I sensed my boulderskin waiting for the right moment to launch itself from the
water into their midst.
Despite the stakes, I had to admit I couldn’t wait to see the super-evolved boulderskin in action. I’d poured a lot of mana into it, and its heavily armored, practically invulnerable form would surely make it a truly devastating force in the coming fight.
The first of the kobolds reached the far side of the cavern. I waited eagerly, certain my boulderskin would strike at any moment.
The first kobold reached the other side, unharmed. It glanced around, shrugged, and passed into the tunnel. The second one followed. Unease rose in place of my excitement as more kobolds filed into the Sinkhole cave, far more than the dozen that had made up the raiding parties last time. And still my boulderskin remained beneath the water.
What is it waiting for?
I reached down with my senses to command the boulderskin to attack—
—just as something rose from the depths beneath it.
I watched in stunned horror as the strange titanic form grew larger and larger. I glimpsed blind white eyes and innumerable teeth as it surged upward, clamped colossal jaws down on my boulderskin, and dragged it down into the black abyss.
A moment later, four of my Creation slots were suddenly empty. My ‘indestructible’ super-evolved boulderskin – my strongest defender – was gone. And whatever had killed it had done so in mere seconds.
‘What the hell?’ I stared down at the frothing water, though of course I could see nothing except a distant pale shape receding into the blackness. ‘Did you see that? What the—What was—Was that Grimrock’s avatar?’
‘No, his avatar is different. We’re lucky we haven’t seen it yet,’ she said. Her voice contained an uncharacteristic note of vitriol. ‘But I don’t understand how… Corey!’ she suddenly gasped. ‘You said Grimrock seemed happy about you Ascending?’
‘What? I mean, yes, but what’s that got to do with—’
‘Your Sphere of Influence increased again when you Ascended to tier seven.’ I gaped at her, not understanding. She buzzed agitatedly. ‘Don’t you get it? Corey, your Sphere has expanded. This part of it – the Sinkhole – it’s overlapping Grimrock’s Sphere.’
I was stunned into silence. I hadn’t even known that was possible.
What the hell am I supposed to do now?
Thirty-One
Compromised
The Sinkhole was compromised.
I couldn’t be sure how far Grimrock’s territory now encroached into mine, though – as Ket pointed out – I knew for a fact that Grimrock’s base was far deeper within the earth. The Sinkhole was one of the lowest of my caves, so logic would dictate that it was merely the very top of his Sphere that now overlapped part of the bottom of mine.
Specifically, that would mean whatever creature he’d created and sent here – the one that had devoured my boulderskin – would be unable to move any further into my tunnels, and would be limited to the Sinkhole only. But I couldn’t be completely sure of this.
Meanwhile, I watched with growing outrage as the first kobold raiding party passed through the Sinkhole unharmed.
There were twenty of them in all.
My skelemanders had sensed five separate groups. Assuming each raiding party was of a similar size, that meant… well, it meant we were faced with more enemies than my god-born defenders had ever had to handle before at one time, and perhaps more than they could handle.
Who was I kidding; at least one hundred kobolds? Surely that was more than anyone could handle, God Core or not.
‘Relax, Corey,’ murmured Ket, though she sounded just as tightly wound as I felt. ‘Make sure your forces are in place, and just… do your best.’
My best. Right.
As things stood, my creatures were positioned thusly: Binky was guarding the hole in the Grotto’s ceiling, and a trio of forrels guarded the Passage. Each of the three tunnels leading from the Passage were also protected by a pack of three forrels, including the abominable evolved forrel. Much as I wanted to throw all of my creatures into combat, Ket had advised against it; my forrels were much more effective in the narrow passages than they were out in the open, she said. Besides, with the kobolds coming from multiple directions, it was crucial that the tunnels leading directly to the Grotto remained guarded in case any enemies slipped through.
In addition to my twelve forrels, the Lake cavern held an evolved boulderskin and two whipfish, one of which was also evolved, while the Heart was guarded by the fearsome Septimus. My four tiny skelemanders, of course, would not be fighting.
I’d felt so confident in my small army after our last victory, but as I watched the last of the initial group of kobolds enter the passage from the Sinkhole to the Heart, I wasn’t so sure of myself. Our only saving grace was that the tunnel they’d taken was long and winding; it would take this first group at least half an hour to reach the Heart. Which was just as well, because a second group of raiders were about to arrive there right now.
The incident with the Sinkhole boulderskin had shaken me. Suddenly doubtful of Septimus’s capacity to handle so many interlopers at one time – despite the advantage of the Heart’s enemy-unfriendly terrain – I decided to send Ris’kin to help out.
The instant I signaled my permission for her to leave the Grotto, the avatar switched into action, bolting out to the tunnel in a flash of red fur.
She arrived at the Heart in the same moment this second group of raiders did. The kobolds at the front of the group caught sight of Ris’kin as soon as she stepped out onto the ledge and began baying eagerly. Their leader yipped and barked out what sounded like a series of instructions, and a dozen enthusiastic kobolds immediately surged along the ledge surrounding the pit in both directions.
Unfortunately for them, they were so distracted by my avatar that they forgot to check the pit itself. Just like last time, Septimus reared from the shaft, taking the raiders utterly by surprise. The kobolds’ yips of excitement turned into howls of terror as the oversized arachnid began pulling them off the ledge and tossing them down into the pit.
While Septimus went to work on one side of the cave, the half-dozen kobolds on the opposite ledge had managed to edge around to where Ris’kin waited, crouched in a battle-ready stance with her teeth bared and her claws unsheathed. Since the ledge was so narrow, the enemy could only approach one at a time; there was no way these puny kobolds could get past my stalwart fox-like avatar.
Not that it prevented them from trying.
The first kobold charged at Ris’kin, its long black-bladed spear thrust out before it, but the avatar’s white-furred hand flashed out and easily caught the spear’s haft just below the head.
With a twist of her muscled arm, she yanked the spear from the attacking kobold’s grip, then spun the weapon around just in time to impale the still-charging raider upon its obsidian point. She hefted the spear, lifting the skewered kobold up and then flinging it sideways into the pit.
She did the same with the next one, and the one after that. By this time, though, the kobolds had gotten wise. They’d seen that getting within reach of the avatar was a mistake they wouldn’t have chance to make twice. So while those at the front of the single-file charge began to edge backward out of melee range, those at the back began to fling their spears in Ris’kin’s direction.
I couldn’t help but flinch, remembering when the projectiles had worked to bring down my whipfish during the battle in the lake cavern. But Ris’kin was no stationary creature, and her muscles were not the only thing that had evolved.
She dipped and ducked and dodged, using her preternatural reflexes to avoid the incoming spears and maintain her balance as she prowled along the ledge toward the handful of retreating kobolds, now holding a black-bladed spear in each of her furry hands.
The raiders had clearly not been expecting the avatar to press the attack. The foremost ones fell easily beneath her spears, failing to react in time to defend themselves as she cut and thrust with the deadly weapons.
I was impressed by her instinctual gr
asp of spear fighting; her skills were impeccable. She hacked and stabbed her way through three more kobolds in her attempt to reach the remainder of the force gathered in the opposite entranceway.
I was considering creating a couple more god-born to fill my four newly-freed Creation slots when I sensed the third group of enemies reach the lake cavern.
I took one last glance around the Heart. Half of this particular kobold force had already been killed; Ris’kin was cutting her way through to the half-dozen raiders that remained in the tunnel, and despite the attackers’ swords and spears, they had yet to inflict so much as a scratch upon my avatar.
Septimus the spider had disposed of the kobolds on his side of the Heart, and now lurked once more below the pit’s edge, ready to scuttle back into the fray the moment Ris’kin needed backup.
Yes, they had everything under control. Meanwhile, my full mana globes pulsed invitingly. Without another glance at the all-but-won battle in the Heart, I headed for the lake cavern as fast as I could.
Thirty-Two
Everything Under Control
By the time I reached the subterranean lake, the third raiding party had already begun its assault.
My recently evolved boulderskin was making short work of the invading kobolds. The boulderskin’s long, curved claws eviscerated any and all opponents unfortunate enough to find themselves within slashing distance, while its tail lashed out at any foolish enough to try and land an attack from the rear.
As the boulderskin lumbered from enemy to enemy, slicing and tearing and generally causing chaos in their midst, the two whipfish I’d stationed on the ceiling – one basic, the other evolved – ensured that none of the kobolds escaped the combat.
The whipfish lashed out with their deadly tendrils, poisoning and paralyzing everything they touched. I almost panicked when I saw one of the whip-like appendages smack against the boulderskin’s unarmored side; however, it seemed the creature’s skin was thick enough to resist the venom, and it continued wreaking destruction upon the enemy unhindered.