by Demi Harper
"Obviously I can hear you," Benin agreed. "Hi. I'm Benin. This is Coll."
"Who are you talking to?"
Rather than waste words explaining the obvious, Benin quickly recast the communication cantrip on the warrior as well. Coll's eyes went wide with wonder when he heard the voices too.
"Benin and Coll. We already know you," the drawling voice was saying. "Where's the other one? Tiri?"
"Corey!" This was the higher-pitched voice. "They've just introduced themselves. It's very impolite not to return the courtesy."
A sigh. "Fine. I'm Corey. This is Sparky."
"Ket! My name is Ket!"
Benin winced. The voice was so high-pitched in its outrage it felt as though it were piercing his eardrums.
"A Core... named Corey?" He wasn't completely able to hide his amusement at such a ridiculous setup.
"Why are there two of you?" asked Coll.
"You can blame Ket for the name," the Core replied resignedly. "She's my sprite. My assistant, if you will."
"Assistant!" she spluttered. "I think you mean adviser."
"Exactly. You assist me by giving me advice."
"Which you ignore."
"Only sometimes..."
Benin tuned out their bickering, activating Arcane Sight as he peered down into the hole.
The sun was almost below the horizon, and the cave was filled with shadows, but the Core's magical aura lit up its surroundings brighter than daylight. Though the Core's physical form was purple, its aura was green, bathing everything around it in turquoise light like they were underwater in tropical shallows.
For an instant, the light shifted, and Benin thought he caught a flicker of something else in there. Then it was back to green once more.
Weird.
With some effort he filtered out the Core's light until he spotted another glowing form. Some kind of squirrel-fox hybrid, it was clearly a more evolved version of the one that had led Benin and the others to safety when they'd been lost in the tunnels without water. He recognized this one as the creature that had accompanied them down to the red Core's lair during their last visit. Its proud two-legged posture and handsome vulpine face belied its strength and ferocity; he'd seen it fight the abominations in the deep caverns, and would not like to ever be caught on its bad side.
It took a few more moments of searching before he spotted the source of the second voice.
Ket the sprite was no larger than a firefly. Her aura was dim, muted somehow; he sensed power there, but it was as though it were locked behind the constraints of her current form.
Unlike the Core and its bipedal fox—both of which gave off a green glow, indicating an affinity with the element of earth—the sprite's aura was pure white.
Interesting.
His eyes were starting to ache from the auras' clashing colors, so he deactivated Arcane Sight. The cave below returned to darkness. Beside him, the emberfox's deep orange glow warmed him in both body and spirit. The creature was still keeping its distance—it would shrink away and snap its teeth if he tried getting too close—but at least it was continuing to follow him.
That's a good sign. Right?
Still, he felt himself spiraling into the doubt that had haunted him ever since their near-disastrous trip to the Menagerie. Even now, when it caught him gazing at it, the emberfox flicked its tail irritably.
Why won't it bond with me? Is there something wrong with it?
The little creature sniffed and turned its back on him.
"Ben!"
Coll was standing directly below him, hands cupped around his mouth.
"Why do you always have to yell?" Benin snapped.
"To be fair, we've all been trying to get your attention for a full minute now," drawled the Core. "Your eyes were all glazed over. Did you hit your head or something?"
"No, I did not hit my head."
"I did," Coll piped up.
"Erm... well done?" said the Core. "Anyway, Benin, what we were saying was: why don't you join your friend down here and explain properly about this so-called 'threat'?"
Benin looked down at the dark cave. "I'm fine here, thanks—"
"Oh, come on," said Coll. "Look, I'll help you."
Benin yelled as Coll wrapped a hand around one of his dangling ankles and pulled. He scrabbled desperately for purchase, but there was nothing to hold on to; only dirt and grass, both of which broke away easily beneath his weight as he slithered down into the hole.
Coll set him down on the ground and started brushing dirt off his clothes, until Benin slapped his hands away.
"Unbelievable!" he muttered. "Now how are we going to get out again?"
"The same way we got out last time," said Coll. "We followed that passage, and then—"
"It was a rhetorical question."
What Benin had meant was: How are we going to make a quick getaway if the Core decides to turn on us?
He glanced around nervously. Other than a couple of badgers, one of which was still gnawing on the leather of Coll's boot, he saw no evidence of potential attackers. The gnomes within sight were unarmed, and the squirrel-fox seemed alert but not aggressive.
Still, if the Core decided he and Coll were enemies and set its devil-born creatures on them... He shuddered, remembering the knee-high tarantula-thing he'd seen last time, but there was no sign of it right now.
That doesn’t mean it’s not here though.
While Coll droned on about the route to the surface, Benin briefly re-activated Arcane Sight—and regretted it immediately.
There, over in a corner near the ceiling, lurked a monstrous eight-legged form. Its aura was somewhat dimmer than he'd have expected from a purely mana-based construct. Usually, curiosity would have made him want to examine the thing more closely, but it chose that moment to adjust its position slightly. The unnatural rippling movement of its legs sent a violent shiver down Benin's entire spine, and he looked away quickly, deactivating Arcane Sight with a blink until he was once more surrounded by blessed darkness.
"... and then you take the second left—or was it the third? One or the other. Then, after about five minutes, you go past a rock that either looks like a troll or a caterpillar, depending which way you look at it, and then it's only a bit further till you're out."
Okay, darkness was actually worse. Who knew what might be creeping up on them within its concealing blanket?
Benin was about to cast Conjure Flame, the cantrip as familiar to him as his own name, when a glowing orange form leapt through the hole above. The emberfox landed briefly on his head, sending him staggering a little, then it hopped to the ground and trotted away from him. It sat down and licked its paw.
"Ooooh!" exclaimed the Core and the sprite together.
"An emberfox," murmured the Core. "Part fox, obviously. Part fire salamander. And—"
"Corey, do you know how rude it is to use Insight on a mage's familiar without first asking permission?"
"No. How rude is it?"
"Well… very."
"Oh." Rather than apologizing to Benin, the Core asked, "Where did you get her?"
Her?
"We stole it," Coll said proudly before Benin could come up with anything else. He kicked him.
"You can't just go around telling people we stole it. What if someone from the Guild hears you?"
Coll made an exaggerated show of looking around the cave. "I don't think there's anyone else here."
"Wait. You're in trouble with the Guild?" The Core sounded angry now. "And you came here? Is that why I'm in danger too?"
"Corey, let's just—"
"No, we—"
"Idiots! Get out! Go on!"
The squirrel-fox had shifted its stance, and now looked poised to spring. Its claws were unsheathed and Benin saw a glint of sharp teeth, which looked particularly threatening in the orange illumination cast by his emberfox.
He should be scrambling to get out of that cave before the Core's creatures could tear him apart. He should be te
rrified. And he was.
But he was also furious.
"Idiots? The Guild exiled us for helping you! We disobeyed direct orders. We've spent weeks in hiding. We're outcast from everything we've ever known, and there's no way for us to go back."
"That's too bad for you, but it's also not my problem. These gnomes are my problem. You don't understand—"
"No, you don't understand. Using my magic is now technically illegal. I will never become a licensed mage. Everything I've worked for was pointless. Even if I make a new life somewhere, all it will take is one slip—one accidental cantrip—and I'll be hunted down and probably drowned."
He unclenched one fist to point a shaking finger at the Core. "That's the life of a rogue mage. That's all I have to look forward to. I've lost everything—because of you. The least you can do is listen to our warning before you kick us out too."
His last words echoed around the otherwise silent cave. Drained by his outburst, Benin folded himself into a cross-legged seat and dropped his head into his hands.
He wasn't sure how much time had passed when he felt a presence at his side. He lifted his head.
He'd hoped the emberfox had come to comfort him, but no. It was the sprite. She drifted like a stray spark to settle on his shoulder.
"You did what was right, and you've been punished for it. I'm sorry." Her voice was gentle. "There's nothing I can say that will make your burden easier to bear, but I will say this: thank you."
He snorted. "For what? We arrived too late to help defend this place, and the red Core was destroyed by its own denizens. You didn't even need us. It was all for nothing."
"You got here just in time to stop that kobold stealing my gem," interjected the Core, albeit grudgingly. "If Coll hadn't fallen down here at that exact moment, all would have been lost."
And there it was. Coll had saved the Core. Tiri had saved the two of them.
Benin had done nothing, saved nobody. Things would have worked out exactly the same had he chosen not to ruin his prospects by coming back here.
"Everything happens for a reason," said the sprite, as though she'd read his mind. "Don't dwell on decisions past, or they'll haunt your present and sour your future. Trust me."
"Things'll turn out all right, Ben," added Coll. He patted the badger beside him, which had finally gotten tired of attacking his boot and fallen asleep instead.
"There, there, etcetera," said the Core. "But seriously... are you sure you weren't followed here?"
Benin shrugged. "I didn't see any pursuit. And I've spent a lot of time looking over my shoulder."
"It's true," said Coll. "Yesterday he almost broke his ankle in a rabbit hole."
"You said the Guildmaster is looking for me, and the gnomes aren't safe. Care to enlighten me?"
"You mean like we were trying to do before you went all crazy and told us to leave?"
"Yep!" said the Core brightly. "But first, can you fetch me those rocks from the bottom of the hill? Ris'kin will show you where to put them."
Sixteen
Tremble
Corey
Though still slightly tempted to feed the mage to my boulderskins, the humans had convinced me of their intentions enough for me to dismiss my god-born creatures, which I'd called to the Grotto the instant they arrived. Nine forrels, three whipfish, two boulderskins and the glorious Octavia II now turned around and trundled back to their posts, much to the relief of the three forrels always stationed in the Passage just around the corner.
I'm watching you. One wrong move and I can bring them back here in an instant.
I didn't say it out loud; I didn’t want another lecture from Ket about how rude I was being. Down at the shrine, though, Ris'kin's gaze was fixed on Benin. When he noticed this, she made a V with her forefingers, pointing them at her own eyes and then at Benin.
We're watching you, I amended, chuckling silently. It was nice to have Ris’kin back on my side.
The mage gulped, ducking his head and placing the last stone back in its place on the shrine. I sent Ris'kin a mental high-five. She flicked an ear in smug acknowledgment.
"Are you quite finished tormenting our guests?" whispered Ket.
"Well..."
She tutted. "Please be nice. It may have escaped your notice, but we're pretty isolated here. We need all the allies we can get."
"Fine, fine." Then, raising my voice so the others could hear me: "But I'd love it if our 'allies' would tell us more about this mysterious 'threat' before we all grow old and die."
Benin protested hotly about how I'd been the one causing the delays. When I maintained a lofty silence in the face of his complaints, he subsided, grumbling, and started rummaging through his pack.
As he pulled out papers and items, some of the nocturnal gnomes crept closer to investigate. As one, they gasped when he shook the first alchemical globe to life, and watched avidly as he placed half a dozen of them around himself.
"Would've thought the least you could do was have your little guys bring me some torches or something," he griped.
"They're not your servants," I shot back. "Anyway, gnomes don't bother with torches up here. They have shadevision. As long as there's some remnant of natural light—which there always is—they can see just fine. Unlike some inferior species I could name," I added.
"Racist."
"Mole-eyes."
"Soooooo," said Ket loudly, "what are those papers? May I see?"
After scowling at my gem for a moment, Benin relented. He separated the pieces of paper and laid them on the ground for us all to see.
There was silence for a few moments.
"I can't read it," I admitted.
"Me neither," said Ket.
Wait, what?
I'd never had the opportunity to learn the human language in my former life, so it made sense that these papers were indecipherable to me. But Ket should be able to read them. She had been human before she'd become a Core.
Hadn't she?
Benin's eyebrows were raised. "I guess my incantation only covers verbal communication. Interesting." He pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. "I should be able to make some adjustments to include the written word as well... probably..."
He held out a hand. Coll handed him a nub of charcoal, and the mage started scribbling on the paper, tongue poking out from between his teeth in concentration.
I sighed impatiently. Scanning the Grotto, I caught sight of Binky. He'd scaled the west wall and settled in a dark corner to lurk, and was now watching the proceedings from afar. If the Grotto had produced popcorn, I was quite sure he'd be eating it right now.
Meanwhile, Coll was shuffling around on the ground like a worm-riddled canine. Clearly uncomfortable on the stony surface, he reached for the cloth in which Benin's papers had been wrapped, now lying discarded off to one side. As he shook it out, presumably preparing to fold and use it as a cushion, a small object fell from its folds: a talisman on a fine silver chain.
The big man’s reaction surprised me; he spotted the object glinting in the artificial light and grabbed for it with reflexes far quicker than I'd have given him credit for. But it wasn't enough; he managed to grab the chain, but the pendant slipped off the end of it and shattered into dust upon my shrine.
We all froze. The dust dissolved into wisps of smoke-like substance, which wafted up from the ground before dissipating.
"What was that?" demanded Benin.
Coll held out the chain. "Some kind of necklace? It just fell out of the blanket."
"Why do you always break everything?" There was a shimmer of bluish light and Benin was surrounded by some sort of magical shield. "You could've just released a djinn. Or a plague!"
A plague?!
Sensing my panic, Ris'kin immediately began herding the curious gnomes away from the hilltop. I searched the Grotto for something I could do.
Some of those new shrooms the farmers have been cultivating have filtration properties. Maybe I could use Growth and f
ilter the bad particles out of the air?
"A plague!" Ket moaned. "We'll have to quarantine the gnomes who were up here when it was released, and then—"
"Actually, I don't think it was a plague."
It was Benin who’d spoken. He was staring at Coll.
The big man frowned back at him and shifted from foot to foot. "What?"
Then I saw it. A tiny point of light hovering beside the warrior’s ear. It looked just like Ket—except Ket was here with me, floating a few feet above my gem.
Finally realizing the direction of Benin's stare, Coll gulped like a man whose final words were about to be "It's behind me, isn't it?" He turned his head slowly, and his eyes widened when he saw the white pinprick of light. "What the—"
The tiny light swooped forward and booped him on the nose. Then a new voice filled the air, reverberating around the Grotto so loudly it made those of us that could hear it wince.
"It has ended the torment of my imprisonment!" it boomed. "Cower now, mortals, and tremble—"
The voice broke into a fit of coughing that lasted for several moments before resuming.
"Yes, tremble, I say, for the Great Calamity of the North is once again free to rain death and destruction upon all who have wronged him!"
With that, the creature shot up through the ceiling hole and into the night.
Seventeen
Filthy Betrayer
Corey
Stunned silence reigned.
What in all the hells just happened?
After the shock of suddenly hearing the new voice, I had to reassure myself that it hadn't belonged to Grimrock. I comforted myself with the knowledge that everyone else had heard it too, whereas Grimrock had, for reasons unknown, only ever spoken directly to me. Furthermore, this voice sounded different. Older, bolder, less smug yet more imperious.
"It's him," whispered Ket. "But how?"
"You know that... person... thing... whatever?" said Benin.
"Sprite," she told him. "And yes, I knew him. A long time ago."
