《Dungeon Core: Total war》


 Chapter 1: Resurfacing

    Chapter 1: Resurfacing


    Aquamarine


    The beginning was a world of extremes, and light had entered my form for the first time. It was dim, almost nothing, and yet still absolutely blinding. As my newfound sense of sight came into focus I gazed at the world around me. Small, finite and enclosed. Opaque yet glassy walls of a lightish blue hue surrounded me. They had arranged themselves in an orderly structure, one not to dissimilar from a rectangular prism. At its center was me.


    I tried to get a good look at myself but I struggled, my field of vision seeming to include everything but me. It was only after deciding to fold the energy that made up my consciousness could I even catch a glimpse. My appearance could be described as a deep blue glow surrounded by a thin membrane of soft waves reminiscent of sea foam. What appeared to be a blue grayish mist filled the space I occupied, and though it was not a part of me it still bent to my will.


    My mind had finished its development and the world was bare, but compared to before¡­ well this was preferable. I finally was. And even though the world I was born to was evidently limited I took pleasure in its simplicity, in being able to feel those limits. My energy is contained and focused now, but back then it was sporadic and inconsistent. Back then it was almost as if there was nothing. The grains of sand that I used to be have since been unified into this pane of glass. I am whole.


    The first thing I did was push my energy to the limits of my chamber and tried to reach beyond. Though a part of the mist managed to break through, my perception did not go with it. Despite seeming to accomplish nothing I was determined, and cast more and more of my mana at the wall. As I continued to desperately try and break down these walls I felt a great weight start to gather atop my mind. The flow of energy slowed, and then stopped. I was left dazed, and my mind felt like it was starting to fragment once again. My sight started to become spotty and I lost sight of a few of the walls surrounding me. I was left senseless once again and started to panic.


    Feelings of disappointment, worry, betrayal, and anger stormed within me. A riptide of intense emotions towards the worlds sick sense of humor began to pull at my mind. But luckily relief started to trickle in when I realized that how I felt didn''t matter, because at least I still could. As the waters within started to still themselves I am able to lessen the tearing at my mind. It seems that I acted too rashly in that moment, I should have tested my limits first before trying to expand them. I once again silence my mind, deeming it unproductive and waited for sight to return to me.


    Walls appear one after another and a silent tension seems to relieve itself. I wasn''t completely sure my vision would come back, but luckily it had. Though I no longer felt like my mind was struggling to hold together I still felt a slight weight upon it. Even still, I once again took hold of the mist within me, but with a much steadier pace. I slowly concentrate a small amount of mist, taking my time and making sure the weight doesn''t grow heavier, and as I do it becomes reminiscent of the seafoam membrane surrounding my core. As I slowly draw more and more energy my field of vision expands to the surface of it. I finally get a good look at myself and feel a great comfort at the sight. I look like an ocean of mana, with light blue waves falling and rising around my deep sea core. The gray mist seeming to rise from the waves as they crashed and being engulfed as they raised. If there was one word to describe it, It would have to be mesmerizing.


    Distracted by the sight I almost lose my grip on the sea foam and my second vision starts to fade, luckily I manage to grasp onto it firmly before it dissipates completely. After finally understanding my appearance I turn my attention to the parts of my view I had been neglecting. It seemed this new sea foam membrane I had created gave me a much clearer vision of the opaque walls. In fact it appeared they became less and less opaque the closer I brought this gathered energy towards them. Approaching one of the walls with it revealed that it was actually see through, all that was visible on the other side being the dark. Bringing my new sensory organ to each of the walls garnered fairly similar results, however as I approached the final one, which was one of the two largest, I found something different. Rather than darkness I saw a solid object, a light gray.


    The fatigue within myself caught up with me, and so I released the energy from my grasp, and it was once again spread throughout my form. I let my mind stand still as I waited for the weight atop it to lift.


    With my mind rested I once again gathered up the energy within me and my vision grew. This time I take it to the edge of my form. As I spread it out across the walls I found that I could see everything in the world all at once, or at least until I realized there was more. Having settled on the edges it became clear that what I once believed to be an empty space within the glass walls was in fact solid. My vision finally escaped what I could only conclude was my body, and I was greeted by yet more walls.


    The energy held at my surface slowly began to settle, requiring less and less effort to hold in place, and it soon became effortless. I started slowly leaking a strange mist as I continued to lift despite no longer needing to. It was warm and comforting and it helped ease the burden on my mind, so I pushed with all of my might. A white fog spread from my body and dulled my newfound sense of sight.


    I didn¡¯t care, for no longer would I flow through the air. Unthinking, unfeeling. Why fret over a lost sense when I have already gained so much. I could finally move of my own will, towards my own ends. Monsters and Mage¡¯s be damned. I was a tool no longer, and so I spread this fog until I could feel its warmth across my newfound surface. I felt pure bliss as the steam condensed to water on my cold body, and basked in the warmth of this pitch black I had created.


    I tuned out my newfound sight and focused my thoughts, these were new too. As I expanded outside of myself suddenly my awareness grew to that of outside my immediate circumstances. Ideas such as mages and monsters, and innate knowledge of what I am.


    I was just born, and yet I know of words and ideas I have no right to know. I also have enough knowledge to know that knowledge must be gained from somewhere else, that it must be experienced or discovered. Why do I have any precedent for that? If I just knew things naturally I wouldn''t question it, but clearly my knowledge dictates that this is abnormal.


    The answer must lie in the before times.


    I shudder at the thought, but clearly the only way I could know is before. What even was before? A time without perception or intent. A time where I flowed through the world like magic now flows through me. But how would I gain knowledge? I ask myself this as I gaze within and see the faint energy that permeates my interior, as it is light by the brilliant blue of my mind. I focus on that energy and find snippets of information.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    A torrent of short and sporadic actions and objects, as well as Ideas and concepts flow through my mind. A split glimpse of a giant creature, a fraction of a spell, numbers, a grand view of a lake, A traveling band of water mages, the bottom of a coral reef, the alphabet, two animals fighting, a town bustling, both abstract shapes and concrete geometry, and a boat full of fisherman. All of these crash against my mind like the tumultuous waves of a stormy ocean. I unfocused my thoughts and waited for the stream of information to relax.


    Well that answers that.


    I look back within myself and notice the sea foam is gone, having all taken residence on my surface. The pieces click into place. Now that I surround the mana I am passively perceiving it and gaining knowledge from it, as it passes through this pseudo membrane I¡¯ve formed. which is why when it only covered my core I did not have this level of awareness.


    My energy starts to stir as I think of an idea, what would happen if I tried to cover this entire room? It''s probably hundreds of times larger than my paltry form and would likely bring me knowledge I can¡¯t even dream of at the moment. Tendrils of energy start to gather within but I relax myself. I am reminded of my original attempt to see outside and decide against it. I had already proven that a calm stream leads to smooth sailing.


    Satisfied with my conclusions I settled down. So I guess my knowledge of things I should have no knowledge of comes from being used by wizards and monsters and my time floating about the world. And despite my recent expansion of awareness outside of basic language, water and the things relating to it the only concepts I understand are ones in my immediate circumstances. Trying to reach for knowledge outside of this quite literal box I''m in refuses to show itself.


    In spite of my obvious limitations a few paths forward present themselves, such as a more mobile body, and perhaps seeing more of the world will jog more of my memory. Well I guess they aren''t really my memories are they? I wasn''t exactly a person, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m one now. I¡¯m more of an intelligence, since a person needs a form after all. As my mind wanders an idea strikes me, while I have pushed energy outside of myself, what would happen if I did that to my very being.


    Intrigued by the idea I allow my consciousness to float towards the ceiling of my gem, coalescing at the top of my new body before I wrap it in a shell of the sea foam. I then gather all the energy below me and expand it until I am forced from the gem. Erupting in steam my body and mind were separated. I floated above the room, all being clear despite the darkness of before. A tiny blue gem rested on a marble column in this empty room filled with steam. a quick glance at the walls revealed they were made of unnaturally smooth stone all almost perfectly symmetrical in their distance to the upright gem.


    I tried to gaze upon my new form, but it was once again the only dark spot in my new vision. Outside of my Gem all sensation was gone, even my sight. How I still managed to see was something even my innate knowledge didn¡¯t cover. I guess this collection of memories has never experienced perception without sensation. I felt a strange urge to return to my gem as the creeping of pins and needles started filling the void of perception, including for sight which memory says shouldn''t be possible.


    I turned my focus to the walls behind me and gazed beyond them. It wasn¡¯t like I could see through it, but I could sense what laid outside of it, and figured I could even pass through. I used the same technique I had used to push myself from my body and drifted forward. The buzzing only intensified as I grew further from my body and flew deeper into the outside world. To distract myself from the discomfort I shifted the focus of my vision regularly. As I finally freed myself from the wall I found myself in yet another larger room.


    Large expanses of grass filled my perception and trees basked in the faint rays of light shooting down from an opening in the center of the crevice. Wildlife milled around the meadow surrounding a surprisingly dense forest. Flowers wilted the closer they crept to the stone floor encircling said meadow. This place must have been Thousands of times larger than my room. The trees closest to the center almost touching the highest ceiling I''d ever seen in my admittedly short life. Birds flew in and out from the giant crack in the earth that the light poured through and I envied them. To be able to take their body with them out into the unknown, I hoped that someday I could do the same.


    As I shifted the focus of my gaze back and forth onto anything that moved I caught sight of a small, yet strange red energy. It was a reddish orange flame roaring around a seemingly solid black chunk. Its essence was strange, alien even. I even felt like it was my very opposite somehow. Despite these qualities it seemed so beyond underwhelming, like all I needed to do was flow past it and I wouldn''t even notice. A part of me just wanted to get rid of it, another knew I could do so any time that I wished so I might as well try saying hi. In spite of these feelings I could put 2 and 2 together, after all the answer flew into my head right as I realized. That red flame is just like me.


    <hr>


    Zircon


    A Tremendous energy coursed through my intangible form as it roared like the flames I had created earlier. Though I had no idea how I ended up outside of my body it was still a feat to be celebrated. Looking out into the lush green expanse all that I could imagine was the trees stained with ash and the grass left dried and brown with my omnipotent flame consuming it all. Wherever I am it is obvious that this place was made to be my kindling.


    As I marveled at the potential of my birthright I noticed a tiny blue ball floating towards me, and felt an instinctive fear. The way its white and bubbling surface rose and fell around its deep blue flowing core, It was activating every alarm my mind could muster. Though I couldn''t put a... finger? on it, I knew that I couldn''t let it touch me. Images of beautiful fires being beaten down into nothing but smoke by the very same waves of motion around that mist were blazed into my mind. I wanted to do something, but I was unable to think clearly. I floated there watching it move over to me, silently. It was like its very presence had turned my mind to embers, but a rush of air reinvigorated the fire in my heart, I refused to be put out this quickly! Quickly I bolted in the opposite direction.


    I would be safe in my vessel, I had to be safe. I could ward it away with my flames and burn it away I''m sure of it. My floating mind fled back to the cavern walls, flying away at impossible speeds. Following the direction the natural urge to inhabit my gem called me I was able to cross that great distance in seconds. I entered my vessel so quickly it quaked and I quickly forced all of my energy to the edges of my body. It was teaming at each corner of me, just waiting for the last bit of force to send it into the air.


    I will survive!


    <hr>


    Aquamarine


    Right as I started to approach the living flame it was drawn back at incredible speeds, shocking me. It was only then that I realized how pronounced the pins and needles had gotten. Perhaps staying out for too long causes that to happen? After all, they were out here before me. I decide to head back now as at least then it will be on my own terms. On the journey back I see more and more collections of colored mist creep from the rockface, though none of them fill me with the same sense of wrongness the red one did.


    I took notice of the rockface, or rather the several other entrances into the cliffside. Many looked like natural extensions of the cave, while 2 bore a striking resemblance to my entrance. I figured perhaps after I''ve figured out a bit more I can pay them a visit. A mist seems to stop as it notices me but I ignore it and head back to my domain.


    Core inside I dive into my preverbal bed. I guess I should continue to bask in the steam while I mull over what I should do next? It is clear that with an expansion of my magic came an expansion of my mind, so maybe I should figure out how to continue along that path.

 Chapter 2: Creation

    Chapter 2: Creation


    As I spent more time mulling over my existence more and more concepts and ideas flooded my mind. It was a little disconcerting, to think my thoughts were not entirely my own. But new ones came to mind, concepts such as time and cycles. The Circle of life. I had been born only recently and yet have grown so much, in terms of intelligence I would probably rival one of those very young mages that often come to mind. My own thoughts are meandering and often unfruitful, yet I can absorb information with great speed.


    So as for my birth? Obviously it was a natural collection of one type of mana at a single point, this created me a dungeon core. it can also be done artificially by wizards to create gemstones. Both of these are types of Magic catalysts. They are capable of making the use of mana more efficient and allow for the storage of excess mana, gemstones however do not have minds like dungeon cores. Dungeon cores are alive, gemstones are not.


    All life needs to grow, and now that I know I''m alive I''ve been thinking about how. I grew my awareness by expanding the sea foam, so I imagine expanding the mist within me will allow me to grow stronger, and expanding my core might do something even more impressive than expanding the sea foam.


    The paths for growth are obvious, the only question is how? No matter how much steam I fill this room with my capacity doesn''t change at all. The ambient mana keeps refilling my meager supply near instantly and I dont grow. The fog has already become so dense that everything has become pitch black and I can even feel a soft drizzle falling from this thick cloud I''ve created.


    I really need to figure out someway to make light in here. And so I turned to the memories, It was mostly useless information like always but eventually I found out that water users could create a type of luminescent algae filling a bubble of water to create a floating lantern. As such I copied the flow of mana the memory showed me and nothing happened. I tried again and still nothing, my mana wasn''t even spent. So I tried to something a bit more basic by controlling the fog, nothing.


    I tried over and over to make different things happen but all that I could do was make mist and water. I tried shaping the water, no luck. I tried to shape the mist, no luck. I tried to make the mist turn to rain, no luck. I tried to control the flow of the water, no luck. All that I could do was summon mist and water!


    My mana had started growing tumultuous at this road block. I couldn''t figure out what to do next! How did these mages manage to do so many different things with their magic? My gem starts to shake as my energy rips back and forth. Even the novices could do so many amazing things with water control alone, and here I was unable to do anything. As I grew more and more angry the visions of the water mages taunted me.


    As more and more visions flood into my mind they start to focus on the summoning of creatures. This sets something off in me and my mind goes red. As If I can''t make a mere creature! I begin to shake even more, I don''t think about how to do it, I just focus on my desire to make something. Anything. The Mana within picks up a flow and starts to rush throughout me, and within an instant its gone. Next my vision starts to rip as my membrane of sea foam starts to be ripped from the surface of my gem, and finally I feel a great pressure on my mind as it starts to bend. It almost felt like a portion of my very being ripped away from me. After all of the pain had faded I was left within myself, senseless, perceptionless, thoughtless. Just like before.


    <hr>


    Zircon


    Zircon marveled at his glorious creation, "This is it! This bastard may be able to put out my flames but lets see his tide try to pull in this magnificent creature!" it was a tiny red skinned turtle with a rocky shell slowly waddling across the floor of his chamber. It was stumpy and cute, even smaller than the already tiny gem that resided within the room. This did not seem bother the reddened gem as he had already entered into the turtles mind to bellow his command, "Go Flamyrtle, bring me the shards of that disgusting blue gem!"


    The turtle immediately responded to the orders of its master and it begun to slowly move towards the door with a sense of duty as Zircon cackled in its mind, "mwahahahahahaha mwahahahaha!"


    The turtle turned to Zircon once again, curious as to how it was supposed to pass through the closed door, "Oh" Zircon said, he had simply passed through the door and expected his glorious creation could easily do the same. Sensing Zircon''s disappointment the turtle cast its head down and began to sulk, "Wait no Flamyrtle your fine. It was my fault!" Zircon pleaded with the magma turtle, but its dejection at its failure continued, "I''ll find a way to open the door for you." Zircon promised as he rashly began to gather a fireball within.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    <hr>


    Aquamarine


    It was only when thought finally returns to me in my absence of sensation that I realized how unreasonable I had been. I have spent about half of my current lifetime thinking about how to move forward, of course I was angry. However, the mages I''m looking at have been learning since far earlier than I ever had. I was letting the first real roadblock I had found completely shut me down, and did something reckless. Once my sight returns again I should practice my mana more patiently, and expect to take a while. I learned the hard way the amount of time learning takes is never shown in those tiny snippets of information.


    As I come too I decide to investigate the products of my spell, sadly the visibility in my room is terrible so I have to leave my gem to gaze upon the masterpiece I had given my all to create. The surprising thing is that I actually did create something. Beautifully scaled and of considerable size the fish laid on the ground before me, dead. Well that was a waste of time.


    I couldn''t really blame myself though, I created off of instinct rather than rationally thinking things through. In hindsight it makes so much sense that my creation would actually have to live in this environment. It was better to find that out sooner than later. I decide to conjure up another creature less reliant on water. It takes some time but eventually I settle on the amphibious salamanders, this time also taking into account the versatility of the unique human hands I graft the two images together. A salamander that stands on its hind legs with human arms. strong enough to open the door in front of me and of course, able to breathe on land. With this image in mind I make a repeat of my last summoning, prepared to give everything I had.


    This time I don''t try to force anything, I just focus on the image with my mind. I focus on the rippling waves in my membrane and their rhythmic rise and fall. I raise them up... and crash them down. As I do the mana with starts to flow in a much smoother manner, a current forming rather than an erratic spray. The mana starts to take the shape of the image within and my mana is drawn out of me. Next my vision is stripped of me as my membrane is consumed once again, and I feel my mind turn to liquid and get wrapped up in the current, all though this time it''s almost pleasant.


    As I wake once again I find a creature that is barely able to make it up to the top of my pedestal. Its arms hoist it up as it stares over the edge at me. Its expression changing as I come too. Ignoring it I use my ability from before and leave my crystal. its eyes seeming to follow me as I drift towards it, and I try something I was curious about since I started questioning what life was. I force my consciousness into its body and supersede its will. Sensations of a whole different order enter into me. Smell and touch are two completely new sensations, my hearing is more focused, rather than just a rough outline of how loud and how far away something was I could also instinctively tell what direction it came from. Emotions like fear and curiosity flooded through me but did not originate from my mind. This creature must be like feeling like I did when I awoke, unaware and wanting to know its purpose. Judging by the lack of a single conscious thought, I figured I should explain it rather than leave him to figure out.


    "Welcome to the world Humamander, I am your creator. Your purpose in life is to explore and grow, while helping me to do the same. I will allow you control over your body again, but allow me to see things through your eyes." I speak in a calm and even tone as I explain to the salamander. The fear turns to excitement and I can practically feel him rip the controls away from me. As he gains his bearings, struggling to walk at first, I patiently wait as I have no advice to offer. Once he seems more comfortable I guide him to the doors and order him to open them. He pushes against them, struggling against the weight of them, but finally manages to part them.


    Steam shrouds all around the masterfully crafted creation, brushing against his back as it flows out of my domain. Hesitation creeps in once again, a fear of leaving his glass walls. I don''t understand, but I tell him I can use the steam to protect him. I don''t know how well he can understand me but hearing my voice seems to soothe the beast. And so he begins to bring his hands forward. Hands on the ground and feet raised the beast enters an awkward gait. It is clearly trying to stay as low to the ground as possible, scurrying around on all fours, but the human upper body really hampers its movements. I suggest running on its hind legs and its a little faster but the fear in my creation begins to heighten. I didn''t exactly have the mana to give it my level of intelligence, so here''s to hoping I can give it more to change that.


    We make it away from the steep stony cliffs and I can feel the patches of dirt under the Humamander''s feet. The grass bristling the soles of my feet is unexpectedly uncomfortable but I dare not interrupt as my creation finally hits its stride. It starts sniffing its nose and exploring the outskirts of the forest. It rushes between the brush as if it''s done this its whole life, Well I guess that''s technically true but I meant as if it was alive longer. I then stopped in one bush, there wasn''t much different about this one than any other but the Humamander didn''t think so. It started grabbing these strange black orbs from the bush and shoving them into its mouth.


    The taste hit me out of nowhere, why did this beast have any need for this sense, it didn''t offer any sort of assistance in navigating the world so what was the point of it? My thoughts where put to rest at the wave of happiness that tickled my mind after each bite. Purely for the enjoyment of it huh? Well maybe one day I''ll have my own sense of taste. I have no idea how long this pattern continued, but as time passed the humamander grew ever slower. After I while he headed to a dense patch of the bushes he had been avoiding this entire time. Pain shot out and brought a great agony to my mind and yet still the Humamander continued. Once it had entered the deepest part of the bush it curled up and started to rest, but I spoke to it once more, "Gather an armful of these berries and bring them back, you may rest at home."

 Chapter 3: Consumption

    Chapter 3: Consumption


    Aquamarine


    The Humamander lies curled up in the corner of the room, it had stopped moving long ago and I was kicked out of its head soon after. I guess this one died too. If I had to make a new one of those things everyday that would be beyond tedious, there might not be any point to it at all. I decided to worry about the small creature later, and instead turned my attention to what it had gotten me


    I looked longingly at the berries, how I wish that I could eat them too. Alas I had no method to consume them like the Humamander. Man that is a cumbersome name, I should really come up with a better one later. I focus on the corner of my vision with the creature curled up in it, it was still doing that strange heaving so I guess it was still alive. I could finally see again, as the room had long since cleared up during our exploration, the fog leaving with the open door. I figured I could relax the next time my creature is out.


    I looked even closer at my Humamander, and noticed he was a little bigger. It looks like consuming food had helped him grow. So I need to figure out how to consume things as well. My inhabitation of the Humamander gave me new insights, much like the Humamander needs to breathe to maintain his body, the ambient mana flowing in and out of me is much the same. By absorbing it I merely fill up my vessel I am in. Using my mana over and over again will change very little. I need to either restructure my body like with the membrane, find a way to change the material of my vessel, or increase its size. I believe finding a way to eat or some equivalent of that will probably help with the mana problem.


    I think back to how my creation ate and it was by bringing the berries inside of it. If I could find some way to take this food within me then maybe I will grow too. An Idea strikes me as I remembered I had never actually tried making my membrane leave the surface of my body. I quickly gather all of the mana within me and create more seafoam once again before I start dragging it outside of my body. As the mana gathers within this tendril I feel faint but I continue along. It takes almost everything in me but the thin strand of mana finally reaches the fruit. As I engulf it I feel a surge of energy, enough to overdrive my efforts and make the thread like tendril into more of a rope.


    With my newfound vigor I yank the berry into my form and feel a heat emanating from deep within. I can practically feel the edges of my form shifting and grinding. I was becoming larger and much more powerful from the simple ingestion of a single berry. As I dissolve it within my crystalline form I finally felt alive, like some dormant metabolic process had finally awakened.


    I reach out to consume another but it falls to the floor midway through, a strange feeling washes over my mind. my energy starts swirling uncontrollably and fog begins emanating from me in great amounts. Water droplets spew every so often as well as my body desperately tries to expel as much mana as possible. I realized that my membrane was ruptured by the influx of energy.


    My mind starts to fade as my body goes on auto pilot, desperately expelling both fog and water for countless hours.


    <hr>


    Creation


    Cough! Cough! Cough! I shoot up and immediately eject water from my lungs. I try to take in more air but find it extremely difficult. It wasn''t hard for me to figure out why, the pleasant warm mist from before had become an all consuming smokescreen and water filled the room up to my knees. Each breathe was labored and difficult, but still I stood. I stared at the lightly glowing gemstone with wide eyes silently asking why. I wanted to plead for it''s help, for its forgiveness. Silent it remained. If it wouldn''t help then escape was my only option. I think back to the way the fog dissipated when I parted the stone and start madly pressing at the walls. My vision failed me as not a single thing could be seen. Each moment I grew more desperate and moved quicker, it would only get more difficult to breathe.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Finally a brilliant light parted the dense white film and I desperately pushed forward. The cold air quickly rushing into my lungs as the warmth of the fog rushed along my back. I turned back to my creator and fear filled me. It said it would protect me with the fog and I scoffed, but now I see how deadly it can be. I stand by the open door as I watch the gem ejecting water and steam, waiting for it all to come to an end. The bright light in the cavern''s center had finally faded and the water passing through my toes had slowed to a trickle, the fog the gem leaked had slowed greatly and the violent eruption of water had long since faded. I vowed to not voice my doubts when my creator is within my mind from now on, no sense giving him something to prove again.


    I looked around for a rock, and closed one side of the parted stone. I left the rock at the middle of the two doors and allowed the other side of the stone to close. I climbed through the opening and curled up in the fading light. I close my eyes and smile to myself, lets see how strong your fog is now.


    <hr>


    Aquamarine


    The fragments of my mind finally manage to bring themselves together. The 50 separate perceptions I had during the time I was gone brought back more memories of the before times. I began to reorganize and the memories seemed to sort themselves. Before long the 50 conflicting stories becoming one. When I consumed that berry the energy I absorbed was so immense that it started to form various other cores within me. I was then forced to fight with them over control of my body and the worse part is, I''m not even sure if the me I started with is the me that won. I had al my memories from before, and all of the memories of the core''s I defeated. looking within reveals that my core is bigger than ever and is once again surrounded by a membrane of sea foam. Despite dozens of frantic questions flooding my mind seeing my singularity puts me at ease and a new inner membrane surrounded it, to keep it safe from anymore fractures. At the very least I am one with myself again. Once again I had made the mistake of taking things to fast and failed to organize the energy I took in properly. Still it would be different next time.


    However the results still speak for themselves. I would definitely be needing more, and I know exactly how to accomplish that. I once again shut out my senses and focus all my of energy on the idea of a human and salamander put together. The very concept of creation. I feed more and more of my mana into it and once again I feel the ripping of my membrane. This time however I feel my new inner membrane rise out to the surface of my gem and continue to feed this process. By the time its all gone I am left blind, but the spell is finished. I quickly construct more sea foam from the ambient mana and rise from my body to speak to the new creature.


    I speak out to the Humamander, "Hello, I am your creator. I shall bestow you the name Twomamander, and I order you to follow your brothers lead." in response the simple being glances up at me without a hint of understanding in its eyes. It was only then that I realized this one was much smaller than the other one, in fact it also seemed less able to comprehend the world around it, with its vacant gaze struggling to focus and moving even worse than the first one did. It even almost chocked on the berries it managed to stumble across.


    It did something that the other one hadn''t though, it began to eat the fish. I spoke into its mind ordering it to, "Stop!" but it refused to listen. I was a bit annoyed seeing my first creation be desecrated right before my eyes, sure it was a failure but it was mine. Still after eating its fill it followed my order and joined it''s bigger brother in the corner of the room, huddling together with him. As he does I realize that my membrane had begun to reconstruct itself already. Satisfied with my new and improved regeneration I decide to make some more fog, and yet even after putting as much energy into it as I can I fail to create any meaningful density. I try harder, eating up the membrane that had just began to regenerate and still nothing. It was then that I notice the door, and wonder.

 Chapter 4: Exploration

    Chapter 5: Exploration


    Creation


    The voice of the creator echoes through my mind once again, "Show your brother how to do what you did yesterday" it commands. Its voice caries little emotion, yet I feel its power. It had tried to kill me when I doubted its fog, even still I''ve outsmarted it. The room was comfortable and warm but nowhere near as suffocating as usual, it appears my creator was only so powerful, still I was curious by what it said. A brother?


    I look to my side to notice another being than I, its size was but half of mine. Apprehension took hold, but still I shook it from its sleep. The creator''s words echoed through mine once again, "Creation, meet your brother Too." I looked over at two and found that he was wincing at the creator''s voice, something I had never done. His eyes appeared glossed over and he held a vacant gaze, even still I motioned for Too to follow after me.


    The little guy struggled to walk as he tried to keep pace with me. He was stuck alternating between staggering on his hinds and crawling on all fours. Even I knew how to walk with little effort, yet this little one struggled to do so. Maybe this creator of mine messed him up somehow?


    The little guy followed me from the stone into the brush. Moving through the bushes I had found yesterday proved unfruitful, even though I made sure to leave some on each bush they were all empty. Well that was concerning, maybe another animal got here first? The little one starts to gnaw at the remnants of the berries stuck to the branches. I look at his actions and make a note, if times get desperate it might be wise to do that. As we dash from bush to bush I start to notice the regular occurrence of strange larger bushes, ones that lift themselves high in the sky. I gaze at them intently, watching them.


    The tree starts to shake and a creature drops down. It hangs from the branch with its arms and tails and grips the trunk with its feet. It then brings its hands over and scurries down, stuffing a strange yellow berry into its mouth. I notice that it''s hands look similar to mine and an idea comes to mind. I look at the little one and force him to sit. He keeps resisting and trying to get up but after realizing I''m trying to keep him in place he relents. I slowly make my way up to the tree as I make sure Too doesn''t move from the bush. I place my hands and feet on the trunk and slowly scale it, using my tail to try and grab the branches. Its a struggle to say the least and compared to the swiftness of the creature before I look pathetic. As I make my way into the bushy leaves of the tree I find three more of the creatures picking at the yellow berries and eating them.


    I manage to avoid their gaze and slowly reach for some berries on one of the branches. As I wrap my hand around the berries my weight shifts and a snap rips at the air. The branch I stood on had broken and I plummet with the berries. The only thing preventing me from falling to the ground is my tail, which had left me shakily suspended upside down. The beasts perked up and the noises I made and began to shriek. Gliding through the branches with ease they make their way over to me as I struggle to reorient myself. They manage to knock me from the canopy and send me hurtling to the ground. Berries in hand I sprint towards the little one and scoop him over my shoulder, only turning my head for a second I am greeted by the creatures beating their chests and screeching at me, 4 more having shown up in the meantime.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    As I ran back to the safety of the fog the beasts had failed to follow me, but their screeches could still be heard as he reached the stone floor surrounding the forest.


    <hr>


    Aquamarine


    "Humamander, meet your Brother Twomamander!" I said as I looked over the 2 waking creatures. I hurried them out the door as I needed an empty room for what I was planning on doing. I watched impatiently as Humamander guided his brother out the door. I began by summoning water, which I did by forcing my mana out of a single point rather than my whole body. I was promptly met with a trickle of water emanating from my form. I then amped the intensity, leading to a veritable stream pouring out. I tried again and again, creating as large blast as I could each time. I improved quickly but a limiting factor brought it to a screeching halt, I could only use so much of my mana at once.


    My mana was currently subdivided into four different categories, the ambient mana, my reserves, my membrane, and my core. Each sequential one more potent than the last. Ambient mana was the mana flowing through me, and I could use all of it at once with ease. My reserves were new, it was what I had gained from consuming the berries, but trying to condense any significant amount of mana from my reserves into a spell other than summoning wasn''t working. Membrane appears to be gathered ambient mana, and while I do naturally have some using any more increases the time to cast by a ridiculous amount. My core is the most powerful by leaps and bounds, but try as I might it seems I can''t use it unless I run out of all other types.


    Not being able to throw more mana at the problem forced me to be creative, and I found that by making the stream smaller and the speed I expelled my mana faster the more powerful it became. I believe if I hit one of the Humamander with something like this they would be less than pleased. Sadly even as my skill got better the cast time remained the same, taking ten whole seconds to gather all of the mana for it. I guess now that I''ve got a satisfying amount of power figuring out how to cast it quickly would be important.


    I then heard the doors to my chamber creak. Humamander and Twomamander came flying in through the door only to get flushed out by the huge buildup of water in the room. They where both sent flying back around 10 feet by the veritable tsunami that greeted them at the door. They coughed and sputtered as they spun around and back. The sight was a little amusing to say the least.


    They ran back in and hurriedly closed the doors, Humamander placing a stone in the doorway while glaring at me. They then sat down while breathing heavily, the bigger of the two splitting apart a bunch of berries they had gathered. They began to eat them, consuming them in their entirety at a slow pace. I can''t tell what emotion is displayed on their face but it clearly isn''t happiness. They sit down and catch their breathes before heading back out, the larger one making a point to ensure the stone stays lodged in the door.


    They left as soon as they came, leaving my plans to see if I could cast magic while inside them for another time. I really had nothing to do, as I figured I would need more magic power to improve my casting speed and the Humamander''s had only brought enough for themselves. I then remembered that I had planned on visiting one of the others like me and entered my astral form. I passed through to the world outside my walls, the pins and needles much more bearable then before, I even still had a limited perception of what was around my core. It quickly faded though as I scanned the cliffside for another entrance and passed through.

 Chapter 4: Communication

    Chapter 5: Communication


    Aquamarine


    The room I entered was thick with dried plants, the floor buried in leaves, needles, and dying foliage. A small but brilliant orb of light hung over the wooden pedestal a green gem stood atop of. A green mist rose from the gem as I entered, taking in the room that I could see the entirety of at once.


    "What are you doing here?" a sagely and slow voice inquired. It''s appearance was that of clear golden roots constantly growing and shriveling around a green light.


    I answered in kind to his calm demeaner, "I figured it would be nice to meet the neighbor''s" I shifted my focus from him back to the room around, "Looks like these guys could use some water." I said while focusing on the plants.


    The old voice chuckled while saying, "Yes it seems they do, I have a nasty old habit of making these things even when they have nothing to drink." their voice grows somber as they continue, "I know I have doomed them to such an awful fate, but seeing them seems to soothe my addled mind. It probably isn''t worth it though, as seeing them die puts just as much stress on me as them not being here at all." Their shifting slows as they continue speaking and another much more despaired chuckle is heard.


    I first try to conjure some water before offering to help, a small drop falling from my form as I do, "Well maybe I can do you a favor," I say as I spread my form out over the ceiling and summon forth drops of water. The process is much more draining than normal but I manage to call forth a decently sizable storm. I could swear the plants had turned greener by the time I finished.


    "Oh thank you so very much, it brings a smile to my face to see these plants shine so brilliantly!" The core''s voice stayed slow but was filled with energy, "What ever could I do for you in return?" the man inquires.


    "Well once I add a pond to my room perhaps you can help decorate it with me." I offer with a pained voice. The pins and needles became unbearable after I watered those plants, I wanted nothing more than to go home.


    "That sounds wonderful" I could practically see a second sun shining within the core as it spoke, "I''ll be sure to think of some plants in the meantime."


    "Good to hear, I''ll be heading out now." I say, beginning to phase through the wall.


    "Ok you have a good one now." The Sagely plant bids me farewell as it sinks back into its crystal. Spouts started to erupt from the ground as I leave.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    <hr>


    Aquamarine


    After resting within my crystal I decide to head out to my other next door neighbor, this time vowing not to offer anything to whoever I meet. I really don''t want to deal with that level of discomfort for a decent amount of time. I phase through this door with little hesitation at all.


    This time no mist rises from the core, the gem maintaining its glow and the mind within.


    "Leave." a stoic and feminine voice emanates throughout my mind. Solid and unshakable, yet lacking any force.


    "I would at least like to meet my neighbor before I do." I spoke, my voice flowing slowly and steadily. Still the core remains unchanged, the voice gone silent. I merely stay in place, waiting her out. To pass the time I shift my focus to the room. It''s barren, aside from the tiny patches of dirt on the ground I find little else to look at. I pass the time counting the tiny stones scattered on the floor.


    Both of us remain in the room in silence for a great amount of time before the a gray mist finally rises from the gemstone. The silence remains unbroken as neither of us are really too interested in speaking the first words.


    Her mist had coalesced and became completely solid, it was as plain as the room she stayed in and I couldn''t even see her core. The gray mist then retracted back into the gem, so I took my leave. A simple and simultaneous, "bye" between us fills the room.


    <hr>


    Aquamarine


    After checking back in at my chamber and failing to see the Humamanders I take the liberty of heading to a neighbor residing further away as I would hesitate to call my last interaction ''social''. I come across yet another set of double doors but... something feels off. The waves that surround me start to slow as I phase through. Frost fills the air and nips at the walls, the moisture in the air all but gone. All the water here resided in patches of white Ice along the many faces of the room. A creeping suspicion that I might join them if I stayed here any longer.


    A menacing cloud of crystalized cold creeps from its crystal, carrying itself over to me. The shards of ice blowing around it only intensifying the pins and needles. Its cold voice cuts through my body as it speaks to me "Well, well, well. It looks like someone is frozen solid" I shivered as the words washed over me, chilling me to my very core, "Good, saves me the trouble" the voice continued, cutting deeper with each and every word.


    I try to speak, but find myself unable to. the wave around me steady, then stop. I need to get rid of this thing as soon as possible.


    "You may go now, I unfortunately am unable to do anything to you at this very moment." The white fog slowly wraps around my frozen form, "But do not worry, that will change very soon." I stays completely still as the ice parts from my surface, the pressure on me slowly releasing. I coolly retreated from the room to at least try and keep my dignity, but as soon as I was out of sight I sped back to my core and immediately filled the room with mist, but am unable to no matter how hard I try because of the rock wedged in the doorway.


    Even though my chamber is warm, I''m still shivering.

 Chapter 6: Preparation

    Chapter 6: Preparation


    Aquamarine


    It is official, after running it through my mind hundreds of times there is only one solution to this problem. Murder. Either I liquidate them or that monstrosity will freeze me solid. There are no other options, that fear was primal. Whatever that thing is it is an existential threat. We can not coexist, and even if we could I simply refuse to on principle. I refuse to be buried under a sheet of ice, to live in the shadow of the cold. As I stir I failed to realize that the Humamanders had returned. Plopping down they set aside a portion of their spoils. They eat and play all the while I relive the encounter over and over in my mind. When I finally come to notice the food laid out before me I''m intrigued. A few black orbs and strangely shaped yellow berries were placed next to my core. Seeing these things filled my heart with joy.


    A plan comes to mind, since I can create these creatures, perhaps I can spawn enough of them to attack the cold gem. Images of the Humamander army getting frozen solid by cold spells dash my hopes a bit. I hurriedly think back to the water mages that used to control me in the past, the armor they wore was not a traditional mages garb, they wore fur coats to protect themselves against their rival element cold. The scenario plays out in my mind once again, a group of armored Humamanders rushing into the chamber of the ice gem, surviving the spells meant to freeze them solid. They reach the gem and try crushing it with their bare hands, failing.


    They would obviously need weapons as well, that much is obvious. I created these things with human hands so they could wield tools after all. With the matter settled I reach out and speak into the minds of my creations.


    <hr>


    Creation


    "Creation, Too. I shall be gifting you more members of your own kind. I task both of you with a mission in the mean time. Find the materials for some weapons, and try to craft them." The voice booms in my mind. This time it speaks of things I am unfamiliar with. I had learned that Too seems to be much younger than I, lacking the innate understanding I had of the world around me for a reason I cannot explain, and even still I had never heard of a weapon. As if in response to my objection my creator once again demonstrated his power.Stolen novel; please report.


    Images began pouring into my mind with many sticks of wood and stone of many different sizes and shapes. They seemed strange and impractical at first, but then the images of the things in use began to play. It was all capped off with a hammer smashing a snow white gemstone. So that was his goal, there is another. What I had failed to notice while I was distracted by the blur of images and actions a blue mist had crept around me and seeped into my mind.


    I tried to rip away control like last time but no matter how hard I tried I couldn''t resist. "Relax Creation, I merely want to test if I can use magic in your form." At these words I thought back to his promise to protect me with the smoke. Is he really saying he didn''t know if it would work back then? I don''t get another chance to resist however as he takes control of my very will and begins to move it through a particular pattern. He drains me of a large portion of my energy and brings it to my hand, before releasing it in a stream of water.


    "Interesting" The voice says, "And it even used your mana instead of mine." I can feel the second mind sitting atop mine, ruminating but letting no more of its thoughts reach me. "I shall teach you how to do this yourself when you get back, for now I have things to do." the weight atop me finally lifts and though I am tired I rush out the door. Maybe if I leave a bigger offering he will leave me alone.


    <hr>


    Aquamarine


    Ok, now I know that even if I can''t get them weapons I can teach them magic. That is good. Now if only I could figure out a way to make my water attack lethal. I could just keep adding more water and more power but at as I am now it will be such an awful trade off it wont even be worth using. For now though, I need to speed up my progress. I didn''t see any signs of creatures in the white gems domain, so if I make 3 more Humamanders I should outpace it by enough to get the edge on it and destroy it.


    With the fruits in front of me I should be able to give each of them enough mana to put them on par with Humamander. After I finish off that white core my next priority is definitely thinking of a better name for those things.


    So I grabbed one of the fruits and begin consuming it as I summoned a Humamander. This one was slightly smaller than the original when he was born. Repeating the action I summoned another, this one the same size as the original when he was born. I then summoned a third, this one being as large as the original is now. I named them three four and five respectively. I would think off names later, but the existential threat at hand has hampered my creativity.


    I use the remaining fruit to summon fish for the new arrivals to eat while I wait for the other two Humamanders to return.

 Chapter 7: Armaments

    Chapter 7: Bargaining


    Aquamarine


    Humamander and Twomamander were still out, and I was getting antsy. In hindsight asking 2 creatures who''ve never made weapons let alone know what they are to gather the materials for them was a terrible idea. They were taking a while, could''ve gotten hurt and probably won''t even get proper materials. I needed to do something myself, and I had an idea. I slipped into the mind of the largest Humamander I had created, 5, and ran out the door with him. I needed to conserve my energy if I wanted to make this work. I needed to see the green gem.


    Walking on the ground with my own two feet felt amazing, especially when I walked over the smooth stones free from the prickling of the aptly named blades of grass. The tension of before starts to lower and my frantic running transforms into a slower stride, "So 5-" As I try speaking to 5 a ringing resounds throughout his skull and I lose control for a second. He doubles over and grips his head with his hands as hard as he can. I can''t feel any of his emotions, only his pain. He doesn''t get back up, he just lays on the ground breathing heavily. I wait a while before taking back control and continue in silence. My eyes refuse to focus and my mind is stained white. I deliberately walk slower now, wanting to give myself as long as I can to steady myself.


    As I stand in front of the doors I take a few moments to breathe, the tightness in 5''s chest still stirring my thoughts into an indecipherable swirl. It takes a while to catch my breathe but I stand tall and burst through the door and prepared to make my offer, instead I found myself walking in on a conversation. "What a beautiful match box you have here old man!" The living flame cackled as his form popped and crackled, "Would be a shame if it never saw any proper use." He hovered his form just in front of the green triangular gem, his flame reflected on its glassy walls. The green gem was dull and silent, you would almost think the sagely old man wasn''t home if it weren''t for the gem''s slight quivering. a small amount of soot stained its once pristine surface


    Even still I waltzed in, strangely 5 didn''t seem to have felt a single twinge of fear, or even fight for the controls. "Ahem" I spoke out. It was a strange sound, and even stranger was that I hadn''t meant to say it. I forgot that I didn''t know how to properly operate my own creations body, the muscles on the lung circuit making for clumsy communication. In response to this the living flame hovered up 5 and started to taunt the sagely man once again, "Aww, is this thing yours?" he floated around it''s head examining it, "It''s so cute!"


    in an instant I felt the mana within the flame build up, and as such I left the mind of 5 and gathered the mana necessary for a water stream "Am I interrupting?" I asked hovering above my creature. As I spoke I could''ve sworn the living flame turned to ash.


    "No not at all sir, I was just admiring this beautiful forest." He sputtered as he backed away slowly. I turned my focus to the green gem only to find my foresty friend had risen from the gem, puffing himself up to seem bigger than he was.


    The old gem spoke kindly, "He sure was, in fact he was just leaving" as he floated closer to the smoking charcoal his voice suddenly turning steely, "Isn''t that right?"


    The flying charcoal started to move towards the door beginning to move through it, "Of course" he said in a forcibly friendly voice, punctuating it with a strained "until we meet again." before phasing through it completely. and with that the green mist deflated and shrunk back to his normal size. As the man steadied himself I took the liberty of examining the damages. The dried up plant matter on the ground was ashy and smoldering, the trees had hardened their bark and were barren of leaves, and the vines still had the remnants of fire eating away at their stems. The man spoke apologetically, "Sorry about the mess, I wasn''t aware I''d be having company." He chuckled with a pained voice as he hovered above his ashen home.


    "It''s no matter, after all I''m the one who needs something from you." I replied, and he became seemingly wary of my next words until I offered, "I can help you clean up in exchange." My suggestion seemed to put whatever worries he had to rest.


    "Why, of course. What do you need of me?" He inquired, and in response I cast the images of my plan into his mind. Then I showed him the sticks I needed to build my weaponry, "I''m not sure I''ll be able to, but I''m willing to try my best." He replied and then reinhabited his body. It took some time but eventually he began to glow a verdant green as roots emerged from the decaying plants on the ground, from this base 5 separate branches shot out at various lengths, each comprised of three twisting sticks entwined. with this he rose once again and spoke, "I hope that was satisfactory."


    "Even better than I imagined." I responded evenly. After all the twisting of the stems in order to ensure durability was a great Idea I had failed to think of. And so to fulfill my end of the deal I reentered 5, who stood in the corner with fearful eyes, and began to cast. A great torrent of water was brought forth from his hand and caused steam to rise from the burning floor before I was forcibly ejected from 5''s body. He had fallen over and I was left without a vessel.


    "Is he okay?" The green mist questioned. He flew over to the creature and floated it around it trying to assess the damage.


    "I don''t know, he''s the same size as my other one and he could do this just fine." I said flatly, "He should be fine, Ill come pick up these sticks with the others, just be sure to tell me when he gets back up."


    "Of course!" he says, "I do hope he''s alright." He adds in a worried tone. At this I began to leave, but turn back.


    "Oh I almost forgot." I say to myself and rise to the ceiling and spread myself out. Rain soon begins to fall and the burnt foliage seems to come to life again. The sagely mist stands in silence as he watches the garden grow even more brilliant in color and his flooring becomes muddy. He hovers in a stunned silence. I begin to leave but he calls out to me


    "Thank you! would you mind telling me your name sonny." He says with a reinvigorated form.


    I pause halfway through the door and turn back to the shining green core, "It''s... "


    <hr>


    Aquamarine


    Humamander and Twomamander broke through the door with armfuls of twigs berries and stones, and dropped their bounties onto the floor. They noticed the two others fighting eachother far too close to my pedestal. Twomamander immediately jumped in with to play with his siblings, while Humamander had the decency to shoo them away from my pillar. As he turned to me with a questioning gaze he was dragged into the pandemonium by the runt of the litter 3. Even though he was tackled to the ground Humamander showed exemplary slipperiness. He managed to escape the grasp of three with ease and dodge the remainder of the horseplay. The others failed to hit him once as he walked back over to me once again.


    He picked up a rock and a stick, looking at them before looking to me. He then clinked them together. It seemed like he was waiting for my instruction so I decided to descend upon his mind and inform him of the change in plans. He seemed about as angry as ever as I approached him.


    <hr>


    Creation


    "Creation, I have made an amendment to our plans!" The creators voice boomed as his presence submerged my mind. His mind was all encompassing, like it slipped between the very folds of my brain. I wanted nothing more than for him to leave my mind, but at least he had the decency to leave me in control. As I calmed down he began, Images of the sticks needed for the weapons flooded into my mind and the path to get to them. It was clear what he wanted me to do, so I walked through the all out war between my three brothers unscathed and parted the doors once again. There wasn''t enough mist inside for it to give me that parting wave this time, and I shivered as I walked out into the cold cavern.


    I followed the path that the visions had laid out for me and quickly arrived at another set of stone doors, hesitation creeps in as I wonder what lies on the other side of that door but I power through it. My worries are heightened as Inside is a condensed but lush forest. I gaze at the trunks lining the walls, searching for the tree climbers but am relieved to find none within. As I focus on the center of the room I spot a pedestal very similar to the one in our chamber. However a green triangle sits atop it rather than a blue rectangle. I turn to notice the branches illustrated by my creator, as well as yet another one of my brother''s unconscious. Worry begins to fill me and I take a combative stance towards the green gem.


    A green mist rises and speaks to me, "Oh have you come to pick them up." He says. Even though his words sound the same as my creators I struggle to make them out, like my brother Too I wince as he speaks. I get the general idea as to what he is saying but cannot understand the individual words. It hurts to try and understand him, its very unlike my creator who speaks with such clarity. Still I power through the pain as I refuse to be left out of the conversation.


    At the very least it becomes easier to understand as the weight atop my mind fades, my creator entering the open air to talk to this other, "Yeah, Humamander should be strong enough, he''s the oldest." he then hovers towards my brother, "Is he still okay?"


    "I honestly don''t know, these things are quite confusing to me. He seems to move even though the wind isn''t very strong in here." It was a strange voice, I could sense the caring tone he spoke with and the wisdom his words carried, it was a pleasant surprise compared to my creators way of speaking.


    "Ah, he''s still breathing. As long as he has some water he should be fine." My creator speaks using such a cold manner compared to his other, however I find his lack of worry weirdly reassuring. He moves atop my brother, sending a slow drizzle into his mouth. He coughs a little bit but still seems to be breathing steady. I wonder what caused him to fall asleep out here, I was also worried that I might find out.


    My creator then reenters my mind and orders me to, "Break those sticks off that root and we''ll return home." I scoffed. It was strangely ironic how my creator seemed capable of such amazing things yet needed my help with something so ordinary. Annoying as it was it seemed easy enough to do so I walked over and gripped the first branch, but for as hard as I pulled it refused to give. I then start to push against the ground with my feet as I leaned back, but at this the creator speaks again ruining my focus, "I have an idea, mind if I give it a shot?"Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    I shake my head and redouble my efforts. He asked me to do this, I was going to do it. I jump up onto the log connecting the branches and lean back, trying to shift my weight in a way that snaps the sturdy branches while also pushing with all of my might but it never appears to be enough. Once again my creator asks, "Want me to take it from here." as his comment booms throughout my mind it causes me to let go. Falling to the ground I''m left staring at my splintered hands and blistering palms. I close my eyes and sigh, willing see what he can do.


    I feel the mind sitting atop mine sink down into my very thoughts. He gently guides me to stand and raise my hand all the while leaving me at controls. He then firmly grips at my will and condenses it into my arms forcing everything I can muster into it. I feel my creators essence join hands with mine as even more energy begins to gather within. Throughout my body my muscles bulge and I feel my mind grow. more and more energy starts to gather in my arm as the mind sitting around mine draws in the mana within this room. My arm starting to tingle right as he condenses our mana tighter and tighter, my hand starting to burn as he draws it into my palm. He then gently flicks my arm which sends a tiny stream of boiling water slicing through every stick and freeing them from the root. They clatter to the ground. I start pouring sweat and my body begins to feel like its on fire. A small burn starts to show itself on my palm.


    Even though I''m more tired than I''ve ever been in my life I finally feel my thoughts start to gather in a way they never have before. A word of my own enters my mind for the first time


    "Creator?"


    <hr>


    Aquamarine


    "Creator?"


    Both a word and a question. it lingered in my mind for all but a second, and yet it still echoes around my mind for many more. In my stunned silence my guiding hand takes full control, and I had forgotten to breathe. Humamander started struggling desperately to rip the controls away... and he succeeded. He coughs and breathes deeply, and I sit in the back seat silently, waiting for more. he does not speak again, remaining doubled over and breathing heavily. He quickly picks up the sticks without my say so and walks over to 5. Squatting down he slings 5 over his shoulder and starts walking to the door. Try as he might his body starts to shake under the weight and he falls over. He dropped everything, and I could feel that the strain cause him to pull a muscle. He picks himself back up without hesitation and gathers the sticks once more, this time leaving 5 behind. As he starts to part the door I hear a voice from behind.


    "Goodbye Aquamarine!" The old mist calls out waving a new sapling growing at the center of his room, but I ignore him. Instead I wordlessly depart from my creature and head over to the next part of my plan.


    <hr>


    Aquamarine


    I enter into the barren chamber once again and find some stone blocks accompanying the patches of dirt from last time. Though the room is messy it provided me with enough evidence that she may be able to fulfill my request. I immediately turn my attention to the gem spotting the whitish light within, but it seems to dull it color as I fully enter the room.


    "Anybody home?" I call out into the silent room. No response follows, and as such I take the liberty to float around the room. Just as barren as last time, I can''t help but wonder how boring my room would be without the Humamander''s fighting all the time. I finally float closer to the gem to take a closer look and notice that the magical membrane on it is still intact, and so I said "I know you''re in there."


    A loud sigh accompanies the rise of a solid film from the gem, "What do you want?" she asks in a very unpleasant tone.


    Sensing her hostility I decide to keep it short and sweet "I need your help ma-"


    "forgot it" she cuts me off curtly, seems she wasn''t in the mood for favors


    Sadly I didn''t have the wiggle room to take no for an answer so I protested, "I didn''t even say what I-"


    "The answer''s no." She remained firm in her stance.


    It wasn''t like I was expecting her help for free, so I added that "I''m willing to make an exchange."


    "And I''m not." Fair enough, she probably thinks I don''t have much to offer


    Maybe she has an idea "There has to be something you want that I ca-."


    "Yeah, there is. Leave" Harsh.


    Well this worked last time "I''m not leaving until you hear me out."


    "Then stay a while because I''m not listening" she says, as she starts rising up towards to ceiling.


    Well I didn''t want to give out this information but I don''t really have any other options, "What if I offered you something that can make you stronger?"


    She stops, "I''d call you a liar." though she says such things she''s clearly intrigued.


    Finally I had taken the upper hand and decide to bask in my victory, "You can call me that all you want, it doesn''t change the fact that your wrong." in response she starts floating further upwards.


    I sigh, I can''t have anything can I? "I can teach you how to eat." I say


    She takes a pause, then slowly drifts towards me "How to what?"


    "Eating, its when you consume other things to grow. I can even give you food if you are willing to help me." I say, hopefully that''s enough for her


    "Fine I''ll hear you out."


    <hr>


    Quartz


    Two times he''d come here, and two times he''d gotten what he wanted. The first time around I didn''t even know there was a world outside of my crystal walls and I had no desire to look, and when he enlightened me I wish I never had the displeasure of seeing it. Still his presence annoyed me and so I was forced to figure out how to greet him. I hadn''t left my crystal since. I hated that he managed to convince me yet again with wave after wave of offers, but maybe if I grow more powerful I''ll be strong enough to move somewhere he can''t find me. If I didn''t know any better I would have sworn he had some natural aptitude for wearing me down. I had zoned out long ago, as the images flowing through my mind were far less long winded than he was.


    After our conversation ends the memories demonstrating how to eat continued flooding through, he even showcased how to properly organize the energy you take in so your core doesn''t split. He was good at presentation if I had to give him anything. After that came the images of what he needed from me and the food he was willing to provide. He wanted 2 pointy tips of flint, a stone block and 2 flint blades of varying sizes. It seemed easy enough and I was about to start but he voiced out his concerns, "Id rather you eat first so your creations are stronger." As he did a strange creature burst through the door, shooting me a death glare. It looked slightly off balance, with a head too big for its body and arms that didn''t seem to match the legs or lower torso. It''s skin looked wet and sticky and its eyes were brimming with a sharp light. I could see the intelligence in its gaze, they reminded me of the mages. It dropped its haul of berries on the ground and stood at the door arms crossed, watching me.


    "Thanks Humamander, so as I was saying. You stretch your membrane out around the food and draw it into yourself. Since it''s your first time you should feel a surge of energy, so you will then need to slow down and forcibly eject most of your energy. After that you need to focus on condensing the mana from the food into the mist within and it will coalesce into stores of mana." He showed me how by grabbing the fruit with a tendril and absorbing it, then he starts creating a watery mist, "I can''t exactly do the rest outside of my body but I''m sure you''ll figure it out. The humamander as he called it watched his creator silently, and seemingly attempted to do as his master described on the strangely shaped yellow thing he held. He appeared annoyed at his lack of success.


    I too followed his instruction, entering my gem and reaching my solid membrane around the food. Absorbing it took all my might and I strained myself until the energy began to flow, and it started picking up speed faster and faster. I forcefully shrunk the growing tendril I created and began spewing out dust and dirt. The creature by the door suddenly started shielding its face as water fell from its eyes, it dropped its yellow thing and jumped down to the ground as rocks started pelting at it. It took a few minutes but the excitement finally passed and I was able to organize myself once again. The Humamander stared at me with shaky wet eyes, its hatred of me displayed freely in its gaze.


    I then set about fulfilling my end of the bargain. I thought about skimping out on it, but it became clear to me that this blue gem would simply wait me out and wear me down again if I did. It seemed like the longer I spent around him the more his current was able to guide me. I hated it. I should probably add some conditions to it.


    "Ok, I''ll do what you asked of me, but leave me alone from now on. Never come back," I said making absolutely sure to pack as much resentment into my words as possible. Hopefully he gets the message.


    The mist just stood there silently as if calculating what words would cut the deepest, "Alright fine, here''s hoping I find someone more pleasant next time I need this done." he spoke clearly and he chose right. I don''t know why, but those words hurt a little. Not wanting to show it I didn''t say anything and silently got to work


    <hr>


    Aquamarine


    This girl was really starting to get on my nerves, completely unwilling to hear me out when I have to worry about the imminent arrival of winter, and what was much worse in my eyes is I taught her how to eat and even had the kindness to tell her how to avoid all of the pain I had to go through and she has the gall to be this standoffish. I think back to my first journey out and how many different types of mist I found. I don''t care how long it takes I could easily find someone else whose capable of this and rub it in her goddamn face. I can tell my last reply struck a nerve by her lack of a snippy comment and continued silence. So I silently judge her as she continues her work. Thankfully she worked in silence having already finished the stone hammer head and the black tips for the spears, now I just waited for her to make the blades.


    "So what do you need these for?" she asked, I silently sat there wishing I had some way to glare like Humamander.


    "Hello anybody home?" she called out, "I''m the one making these I''d at least like to know what they''re for."


    "I wish to make my creatures more effective at carrying out their duties." I replied. She paused, clearly not believing me, but she continued on.


    The knife''s blade came out fine and she continued onto the sword blade before commenting, "I wonder what''s so dangerous out there that you need things like this?"


    water began to drip out of me as I struggled to think of an excuse, but surprisingly humamander spoke up instead, "Tree climbers." His voice was sharp, cutting the air in a way ours never could, but was still unpracticed and clunky, even still I sent him a silent thank you and he nodded back.


    "Oh, I didn''t know it could talk!" she yelped, a bit surprised. Humamander glared back in response, but he remained silent. He seemed satisfied having got his point across. At least I wouldn''t have to worry about any more questions.


    "So how did you get that thing anyways?" she asked.


    Never mind "I made him myself." I said curtly


    "Care to enlighten me" She prodded.


    "Sorry, trade secret. I wouldn''t want to give it out so freely." I stated matter of factly.


    "Fine, maybe next time." She said dejectedly


    "Man I didn''t know never would come and go so quickly" I teased


    "I was joking." she deflected


    "Yes, I''m sure you were." I seethed at her obvious lie


    "Whatever" she scoffs, "There. That''s, that. All done." she said as the final piece dropped onto the ground, "Now leave."


    At this point I was about done so I decided to taunt her, "Thanks for your help, I''ll be sure to drop by and rub it in when I find someone else to do it better." in response she shot a rock at me. I didn''t bother dodging as it passed through my form harmlessly, but it struck humamander on the forehead. He once again sharply glared at the rock, I could tell he deeply desired to do something but he knew it would be unwise. He simply walked over to the weapon parts and picked them up before heading for the door. Once he was safely outside of the rocks chamber I said, "If you''re wondering why, that''s why." and I turned to leave. I subconsciously slowed down as if expecting a response, but none came. When I was sure she had nothing left to say I sped along, trying to catch up to humamander to hitch a ride.


    It was only once I looked at the pieces through the eyes of Humamander that I could truly see their quality. Their edges were sharp and the cuts were done even better than I was capable of asking for with my vision, the sword blade meant for humamander even had an engraving of him wielding the finished blade in a readied stance on its flat. Seeing the obvious care put into my request caused me to feel a creeping guilt. I had assumed she would do a shoddy job to spite me, but she had put her best foot forward. I don''t think I could find someone better, no wonder she was pissed.

 Chapter 8: Complication

    Chapter 8: Complication


    Creation


    I would be lying if I said I didn''t absolutely hate this one, but as I turned the blade over in my hand an adage that was not my own helped to still my anger, "Never, piss off your Blacksmith." While I had no idea what piss was or what exactly made my smith black when they were obviously more of a lightish gray, the spirit of the quote was not lost on me, you don''t want to anger someone you rely on. As much as I hated to admit it, her work was admirable. The saying had entered my mind as that magic rock hit me in the head, accompanied by a vision of an earth mage giving this warning to his sword wielding partner as she threatened to chew her ''smith'' out. Sadly my creator didn''t appear to get the same insight, but that vision is why I didn''t try to get some practice in before carrying out my creator''s murder scheme.


    The weight of his mind had become significantly lighter. I could even reach out and sense his emotions when he was floating around upstairs and right now he was stirring. Probably regretting pissing her off. From what I gathered of his errant thoughts making their way into my mind up until now all his enemies disliked him for little to no reason, but this was the first one that was his fault. It was hard not to feel bad for him, but that probably had more to do with him literally being in my head than any actual sympathy. I shrugged it off and secluded my mind from his, able to think of it much clearer without his thoughts intertwining with mine I came to the conclusion that both of them are probably feeling the same way, and one will eventually break down and apologize to the other. After all they both disrespected a work the other took pride in. However judging by the big man upstairs'' thoughts, It will probably be him. It''s scary to think about how I''m less than a week old and am already more emotionally mature than my creator. I have half a mind to go plead for the green one to let me live with him.


    Its fairly annoying that these petty gods just within reach have so much power yet such weak minds. I wanted to give him a piece of my mind, but I know my thoughts would prevent him from learning and elected to keep them to myself. I''ll save my criticism for until after he learns his lesson. Seeming to sense my disapproval his sulking continues and the weight grows ever lighter, at least he isn''t as burdensome to carry around anymore.


    Lost in thought I bump into the door to our home and almost drop everything. I manage to keep a hold on it all but one of the spear heads manage to cut at my skin and send ripples of pain through my body. At this the mind atop mine silently takes its leave and retreats to its gem to sulk. When he starts rapidly spewing mist I deliberately fix a rock into the doorway and get ready to work.


    Figuring I should start easy, I begin trying to fix one of the spear heads to one of the two longer sticks. Forcing it down proves difficult, but I remain patient once I realize that means it will be harder for it to become dislodged. A great force to my back suddenly sends me forward and I almost cut my hand on the blade. I turn around and find Too tackling one of my unnamed brother''s into my back. I help the runt up before picking Too up and moving him to a corner. I force him to sit and keep reorienting him into place every time he tries to leave. Eventually he relents. I order him to, "Stay." before returning to my corner to work. Taking my seat I speak one more command, "Don''t bother me, I''m working." and get back to fashioning the weapons.


    <hr>


    Creation


    I motion for Too to come over to me and handed him a spear. Looking at the weapons made it clear what was for who, the dagger was meant for the runt, the spears were meant for Too and the other unnamed brother of around the same size, and the Hammer was meant for the big one in green''s room, and the sword was meant for me. It was able to be wielded with one or both hands and left me free to cast spells with my offhand, at least once I figured out how without Blue''s help.


    It frightened me that Too was the smartest of my brothers, my differences with them having only become more pronounced with time. I knew that until I taught them how to use these things they would be far too dangerous, and I knew leaving them outside would be a terrible idea. The tree climbers had only been growing closer to finding our home each time we angered them. They were already dangerous enough, the last thing I wanted to do was give them weapons.


    Today I was going to kill them. We needed fur armor according to Blue''s plan and I wasn''t going to question whether it was strictly necessary. He was evidently in a bad enough mood, and it would be even worse if he stopped taking it out on himself and turned his emotions outwards. I shudder at the thought of my brother''s suffering under the creator''s wrath. I could worry about things outside of my control later though, right now I needed to focus on something that is in my grasp, making sure my brother''s didn''t hurt themselves. I was going to take the extra weapons to Green''s and bring the biggest of my brethren back. I started walking and Too followed, gripping his spear with a lack of certainty. He seemed relieved that we didn''t head out to the grassy expanse, I guess he learned the tree climber''s didn''t like the stone.


    When we reached the door I knocked. It felt natural, but I didn''t know why. Inside I could faintly hear Green talking to himself, "My what a strange noise. I should probably find out what it is." and when the small ball of mist crept through the door he seemed excited to see me.


    "Oh Aquamarine to what do I owe the pleasure?" his voice was positively brimming with life.


    "Not here." I responded.


    He seemed to lose a bit of the energy in his movement and his voice, "Oh, well come on in." his change in tone made me second guess my curt response.


    Even still, I walked inside and rested the extra weapons in one of the room''s corners. It was only after I put them down that Green spoke once again, "Oh are those the weapons I helped make?" He asked excitedly.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    "Correct" I replied. Too seemed to follow my lead and tried putting his spear down as well but I stopped him.


    "May I ask who made the stone parts? Oh was it you?" he asked


    I shook my head and pointed back the way I came, "There is another, That way. Past Blue."


    "I should go pay them a visit, a new friend would be nice." He said as he weaved around his plants.


    I gave him a sarcastic thumbs up, "Good Idea" and he seemed to light up with excitement at my comment. I guess I didn''t get Blue''s way with words entirely.


    Ignoring green I decided to go pick up my larger brother and turned to leave, but Green stopped me, "I''m sorry but I don''t believe I''ve caught your name."


    This man loves stopping people as they try to leave, "Creation" I said and opened the door.


    "Bye creation, I''ll be sure to go meet this mysterious crafter right away." He mused waving one of his plants at me as I headed out.


    I have decided against living with the Green one.


    <hr>


    Creation


    As I dropped my Brother on the floor I motioned for Too to follow once more. I had tried to make him wait outside but he refused to listen. He has since been playing with his brothers and I was about to drag him away by force. However once he noticed my glare he stopped playing immediately and followed me once again. I could now rest easy, safe in the knowledge my brother''s wouldn''t stab eachother''s eyes out. I stepped over the rock and shimmied through the door with ease, while Too tripped over the rock and and almost faceplanted. My palm found itself spread across my face without me realizing it, but it felt like an appropriate response. As we made our way to the grass once again I noticed Too''s heightened fear.


    A voice call''s out to me as we began making our way out into the world at large, "Oh funny seeing you here Creation!" I plant my thumb and forefingers over my eye''s as I realize who it is. I elect silence as my best option. a long pause occurs as Green waits for a response he isn''t getting.


    Finally he relents, "Anyways Sonny, would you mind reminding me were this crafter of yours is? I seemed to have lost my way." It was a bold faced lie, he obviously just saw me and wanted to talk to me.


    I simply pointed directly to the door which was visible from this angle despite its considerable distance and finally spoke, "Busy."


    "Oh, I apologize for bothering you then, thanks for the help." and he sped off to go meet with Gray.


    If one good thing came out of this meeting it was that Green seemed to relax Too a fair bit. He looked more sure of himself thanks to his presence, and so I took the opportunity to plant my hand on his shoulder and reassure him, "Be strong Too." He seemed to beam at my words and gripped his spear with purpose as we headed towards the forest. Something that was immediately obvious was that the bushes didn''t provide as much cover anymore as we were growing abnormally fast. I was about 3 quarters the size of the bush and Too was about half. Due to this we couldn''t exactly hide in them anymore. Still I made sure to creep through the brush low to the ground with my sword at my side. I realize now that using the other spear to teach Too would have probably been a better Idea, and I regret my poor forethought. There is always next time.


    As we start to encounter Trees I make sure to pace myself. I don''t want to put Too in danger. Up until now I mainly made him help pick the strange yellow berries from empty trees and carry everything while I snuck by the Tree climber''s. I fear that if he encounters any more than one when we''re together, or any at all when alone he will freeze up. As such I should only pick fights I know I can win alone. Considering my lack of experience I should wait for a runt to go out on its own and take care of it quickly. I could also try luring one away, but that risks drawing in others or making my presence known which is why I had decided against it. That''s why when I notice a tree faintly shake, I begin to wait.


    <hr>


    Creation


    Too seems to understand what I can say, so I told him to gather berries but to never go further into the forest. I was starting to get hungry since I let my brother''s eat the fish my creator gave them, so I allowed him to do what he was used to. I stood guard by the tree, waiting. This was the furthest the Tree climber''s came out. Currently three were in that tree. One big, two small. If I can kill the big one I can probably take out the two small one''s as I have a weapon, but going into the tree seems like the worst possible action I can take, and so I wait.


    My brother brings me berries and I eat them. Once I''ve had my fill I tell him to bring the rest home and come back, and he leaves. I wait. he comes back and continues to forage. I wait. The light begins to fade. I wait. I grow hungry again. I wait. Too brings me the rest of the berries and goes home. I wait. It takes until the light has almost faded that the big one comes down to a lower branch and starts to rest. Opportunity presents itself. I hadn''t expected it to be so easy.


    I crept up to the tree and investigated closer. As I got closer I could see the two little ones at the very top of the tree, seemingly hiding. The biggest slept exactly low enough to be seem, but high enough up they couldn''t be attacked. I put the pieces together and I realized that this creature was protecting the small ones, just like I protected my smaller brother. This big one must be smarter than it lets on, which means it probably isn''t asleep. I decided to reposition to a better hiding spot and grab a rock off of the floor, electing to test my conclusion. I heave the large stone straight at the tree climber and its collides with it''s head. It drops to the ground with a heavy thud. It doesn''t make a noise, it doesn''t get up. I walk over to it hoping to get a closer look.


    As I stand over the corpse blood pours from its head, staining the ground beneath my slimy feet and its body appears to be facing the wrong way. It''s eyes were wide open, looking at nothing and yet I felt a piercing stare emanating from those empty lifeless eyes. As I stared backed they seemed to say much, with every word a question. Why?


    Because it was the way it had to be.


    The blade in my hand began to shake.


    I had just killed a mother. I killed a mother and I was going to kill it''s children, I was going to kill a family. I am killing a family to protect mine. I have to protect my family from the very thing that created us. Not only from my creator but his enemies too. I had to kill because whatever Blue wanted dead, wanted us dead too. I had to kill because if we didn''t attack first then they would, because if we didn''t attack first we stood no chance. I had to kill because this time what we needed to move forward couldn''t be made with mana alone. I had to kill because our petty god''s were not omnipotent, I had to kill because they were oh so fragile. It became obvious in that moment, that if we didn''t destroy we would be destroyed. What being destroyed meant for my enemies, what it meant for me.


    I set my blade down andsat next to the corpse I had made, putting my hand to it''s forehead. I helped it close it''s eyes, and I looked out at moon as it started to fade from our small world from the crack in the sky. As the moonlight started to draw away and the shadow''s began to grow I stood up.


    As the world turned dark I picked up my sword and climbed.