POV Mouse Whisperblade

  The burrow was empty when she awoke. Her former compatriots were long gone by the smell of it. Her whiskers twitched as she breathed deeply, her limbs twitching at the influx of Aether. It was thinner than she remembered, yet her connection to the substance felt deeper. That wasn’t the only connection that ran deep. Like a second limb, the shadows of the burrow began to writhe, extending to cover what little area the light from the outside sought to reveal.

  Her eyes saw through it all, everything standing out in sharp relief. Instinct prompted action, shadows gathering and coalescing into a dagger that the mouse clutched in her right paw. She observed the weapon impassively. It was pure utility, a weapon meant to both secure her future Ascension and a blade to end the lives of her master’s enemies. The former option was something she knew was possible, but only partially. She would remain the same, simply more powerful.

  That was enough. The Whisperblade flexed her new muscles and disappeared. She reappeared outside, stepping out into a dark world. The entirety of the shadowed portion of her master’s kingdom was like heaven for her new senses, but the Aether was too thin. She would need to delve deeper, and her new powers would enable her to do so. She flickered to the wall where there had once been a hole.

  Placing her paw against the new stone, the Wisperblade focused on her new affinity, seeking the shadows that lingered within. It was hard, pushing her senses through solid stone, but eventually her affinity answered. She took a step. There was a moment of lingering displacement, unlike her previous uses, before there was a lurching snap, and she stumbled into deep shadow. She gasped for breath, and Aether, her little lungs struggling to collect as much as possible.

  It was much easier to do so now. The inside of her master’s domain was rich with Aether, even as relatively far from his core as she was. That was something that needed to change. Her instincts drove her to scout his inner domain in its fullness. The key to eliminating threats was to know what and where they were in the first place. It was only after she confirmed that no immediate threats existed that she would begin hunting. She paused, letting the Aether refresh inside her core, before taking another step and vanishing.

  POV Wenigo, Mouse Captain

  Wenigo awoke. He kept his eyes closed for a moment and let his senses expand. He could hear the drip-drip-drip of condensed Aether as it was filtered. He could feel the rich Aether in the air and the substance of something else drifting among the currents. There was a quality to that second substance that felt familiar, and it was only when he laid his paw upon his battle blade that he knew what it was. For the same substance that lived in the air also dwelt within his blade. A blade gifted to him by his lord and master. The essence of divinity.

  Opening his eyes, the mouse stood slowly and smoothly, feeling his body ripple with new strength that he hadn’t had before. His identity had also undergone a change. In the depths of his being was a new concept, one that bubbled forth like a fresh spring. The First Among Many.

  “Wenigo.”

  The mouse spoke his new Name reverently and found that the once foreign sounds now came smoothly. His tail snapped in excitement, and he panned his gaze over the core room of his master. Smooth stone met his gaze, perfectly cut and molded as only his creator could have accomplished. The drip of liquid drew his gaze to the cave mouth leading up. Slowly, a tad thicker than water, Aether plopped into a growing puddle that led to a raised pedestal.

  Wenigo’s gaze locked onto the form of his lord. Brilliant, green-blue in hue with the purple afterglow of Aether swirling within, the Core hummed with power and majesty. His light illuminated the whole cave, and the mouse knew that the light would be visible even from several caves away. His sword clenched in one paw, Wenigo moved forward and knelt with the battle blade in front of himself and his paws resting on its hilt. He offered obeisance to his lord and master in the only way he knew.

  He stayed that way until he felt the presence of his master approach. Wenigo rose, astonished at the level of closeness he now felt. Whatever connection there was between the creator and the created had been strengthened. For the first time, Wenigo the Mouse Captain heard his master’s true voice.

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Good Morning, Wenigo.

  The mouse almost shuddered as the words rolled through the connection. His lord’s voice rolled like thunder, carrying with it meaning and purpose. One of joy and gladness. His master was glad he was awake. Wenigo bowed again, overcome with gratitude, but his lord’s voice quickly had him rising.

  Enough of that, there is much to do, and I require your assistance.

  Wenigo snapped to his feet in an instant, eager to do his master’s will. He heard a chuckle and then felt the higher being prod him. The mouse followed the prompting as the creator led him out of the core room and up into the Aether funnel. Without being told more, the Mouse Captain knew that he was to climb to the top and did so. He collected his kinbeasts on his climb. His squire rushed to him as soon as he was seen and fretted over him for a moment. It seemed that his longer sleep had caused some concern.

  Waving aside his squire’s ministrations, Wenigo spoke to his compatriots. “Come. Our lord has need of us.” He moved on quickly, leaving his stunned group to catch up after they had recovered from his pronouncement. They climbed swiftly, their Ascended bodies handling the strain of the climb with ease, although his lesser kin were breathing a little heavy at the end. Wenigo felt no difference. His body practically thrummed with the Aether present in the funnel, and it washed away any fatigue he might have felt.

  He looked out over the large room that made up the center of his master’s domain. Before now, he hadn’t really looked at it with any understanding, and he doubted his lord cared. Now, though, he saw the room with new eyes. The last time he was here, he had been entirely too occupied and exhausted to think about looking around. He himself was different, too. He had a Name, and that changed how he saw the room before him.

  It was massive in size and covered in different furs and coverings. A larger edifice stood pressed against one side, and there were images of woodlands and streams adorning the walls. The outline of an opening was set into the wall in front of him, although he could tell it had been covered by stone. Light shone in from two openings set into the wall, covered by a hazily transparent material. His Name whispered insights to him as he looked around, setting his mind on fire with thoughts and ideas.

  Come Wenigo. Keep Moving.

  At the sound of his lord’s voice, the mouse jerked as though stung and made a sound of apology as he tore his gaze away from the sights before him and back to where the core was leading him. He watched in amazement as a stone stairway leading upward was created out of nothing. Marching diligently, he and his crew followed. They were led ever upward into the dark of the Upper Place, where Wenigo remembered hiding once upon a time, back when he had been a normal mouse.

  The Aether here was thinner, and Wenigo was starting to struggle. He could feel the Aether begin trickling out of him even as his body sought to recapture it. He was able to keep the worst of it at bay by keeping to the middle of the stream of Aether entering his Master’s domain, but he hoped whatever they were doing wouldn’t require them to go much farther. As if to prove him correct, the light they were climbing towards suddenly opened up, and they found themselves standing in the center of a great, though tiny, courtyard. There was a rasp of stone as the opening they came through was sealed behind them.

  The grass was tall, but it did not hinder their ability to see the massive stone edifice that surrounded them. Wenigo had seen the small fortress that lay inside the fifth floor, but the size of this one left him stunned. Walls ringed the far edge, and grey stone rose all around them, forming small buildings that he couldn’t guess the functions of. He could, however, see the mice.

  They scurried to and fro, carrying cuttings of grass for nests or surveying for threats. Mouse Guards manned parts of the walls, though there were other mice represented as well. Even as his group moved as the master directed them, he could see larger mice with hungry eyes watching them. There was intelligence there, but they were obviously feral, not having the same Path of Ascension as his own kin.

  His lord was doing something different, and Wenigo wanted to know what it was. Eventually, the master led them to a keep that dominated the center of the fortress. Within the keep lay an immense Aether Pool similar to those in the Aether Funnel. Immediately, Wenigo felt better, the density of the surrounding Aether rising to levels he was comfortable with. At the back end of the pool was a throne upon a raised dais, behind which were holes that led deeper into his master’s domain.

  That is for you.

  The mouse looked toward his Master’s presence in shock. Before he could squeak a reply, the Dungeon continued, and Wenigo could feel his gaze lock onto him.

  I have need of an army. As my first guardian and the only one I have Named so far, this task falls to you. I have no idea when further invasions will come, but we must be prepared. I give you authority over this floor. Wield it well. The conflict will come soon, a grindstone on which you can sharpen a fighting force. I know you will make me proud.

  Wenigo felt himself tremble as the weight of his Master’s request washed over him. He bowed deeply, overcome with emotions that seemed stronger than they had been before. His Name flared with his Lord’s pronouncement and determination quickly eclipsed every other feeling. He would indeed make his Master proud. He hadn’t failed yet and wouldn’t start now.