Green light glimmered, pinched between my thumb and index. I froze. What if I dropped or scratched it? Squinting, I inspected it further. A twinkle of light caught my eye. There. A mote so tiny. Caged and protected, a precious trinket. So this is what it looks like, a Core. It’s… beautiful. Mesmerizing. Like watching the tiniest of fireflies dancing, light flickering with wonder. The very subject of Kent’s entire book.

  Cores are categorized with colors; the simplest and clearest mode for classification. Green improved the body. Blue the mind. While Pink and Purple refined the vessel, whatever that meant. I wish the book explained more about that… Vessel thing. Green and Blue are easy to come by, while Pink is more uncommon. If I was lucky, I might find blends of blue and green; cores that held the power of both, Cyan. Rarest of all, there’s White. A Shard of the first-born star captured in crystal, according to Kent, is related to the soul. The green ones in my hand were the most basic of Cores. Single motes are the baseline Cores, obtained from the weakest monsters at the bottom of the pyramid. There were other, Coreless, harmless animals mentioned, like livestock or little critters. Multiple-moted Cores could be found in stronger creatures. Each Cores’ brightness determined its developmental progress to form another mote. I’d need more to compare, the two I had were identical.

  I could gobble them up right away, but Cores have more uses, ranging from ingredients to currency. They could even be refined or strengthened, purifying or brightening the motes, shifting the hues. Cores with multiple motes were more powerful, had more potency, but weren’t always better for me. There’s a limit to how much I can absorb at once. It wasn’t forbidden…well, kind of. I shouldn’t, for example, eat a four motes Core right now. Or I’d likely explode. Literally. Into blood and bones. It’d be worse than what I did to the goblins. There is a way to find my limit. I just need tools I don’t have. So, the simplest, safest, way is to start small. Beginning with this one mote I have.

  I leaned in closer, trying to glean more information, even knowing I couldn’t yet. I wanted to know more, but Kent said “unless your sight has reached 3rd tier, or you possess a proper Vessel, this will be all you can determine from looking at a Core.” I don’t think I have any Vessels, and I’m sure as hell my sight hasn't reached 3rd tier. He said I’d be able to see ‘shifting behavior’ inside the Core, whatever that meant. Either way, it wasn’t appetizing. Well, I guess, I’m not really eating it anyway. I’m absorbing it. I rolled my eyes. Heh, what’s the difference. Kent didn’t explain it. Should I clean it first? I glanced at my blood-covered hands and the soaked ground all around the cave. Nothing to clean with. Whatever, if this body can clear out four goblins without a problem, what could a bit of dirt do? I put the oval in my mouth. Bleh, Bland. With a hint of blood. I’d need to swallow it? It felt unnatural, trying to basically eat a stone. Closing my eyes, I tried to imagine swallowing a pill instead.

  With a gulp of saliva, I swallowed the Core. It was easier than I expected. Okay, now focus; remember what the book said. I closed my eyes. I didn’t need to, but it’d help me concentrate. Focus on one spot, any spot. The book said that if I got it right I should be able to feel something. Is it working? Am I getting it right? Trust in Kent, believe in the expert. Is it like meditation? I bet it’s like meditation. He said the first step should be fast. I should feel a spark, or discovery, or something new. Something warm or hot. Patience. Concentrate…

  Any minute now…

  Should I- Whoa!

  A spark, no, a blaze. Erupted in the dark. In me.

  I snapped my eyes open. Amazing. It felt like I poured water on a flaming ember sizzling inside my stomach, a warm steam that promised refreshment rushing around my gut. A starry light that illuminated the night sky. I sat with it, marveling in the sensation. Reluctantly, I pushed myself to move on to the next step. I needed to imagine a container, a jug —no that’s too small, a tank. I needed to guide the flame, the steam, to fill me completely. Ok. Let’s add a valve and hose. Picture the steam flowing out, towards the tips of my toes and the ends of my fingers. A rush of excitement ran up my spine; it was moving. It was working. But, there was a sluggishness. It was slow, too slow. I think the book mentioned the process being swifter than this. Was something blocking it? How could I tell? This whole thing was so elusive, like trying to hold steam in my hands. Right! Steam. It spread and twisted wherever it wanted. Not flowing like water through the hose. I needed to give it direction, to radiate this warmth, what do I need? Warmth moves to cold. I needed to surround it with frost. A freezing hollow that needed, that demanded warmth. The ember blazed in response, erupted, taller, brighter, hotter. And it began to fill me faster.

  My mouth parted with a soft, content sigh. Rejuvenating. But it wasn’t enough. I need more. It’s a bucket of warm water turning to ice in the heart of a howling blizzard. I needed to give it more direction. A harsh wind gusting it through me, icicles caught in its strength, twisting out into a web of ice. A net. Veins, paths. Guiding the warmth. Focus. Imagine. Heat caressed my body, my claws, scales, tongue, and snout, spreading out, even. Peaceful… and gone. Extinguished.

  Argh. I was getting it! I think I did it right. Damn. Well, I guess a one mote Core can only do so much. Still, It did feel good. Like taking a warm shower, and it was over practically before it began. A shower. I could really use one, glancing down at my blood-soaked claws and feet. This’ll be uncomfortable when it dries, especially with more and more fights. If not for the damn dread inside, I’d feel even better. It never left, always a pest in my mind. Why can’t they suck everything away along with the corpse, whoever made this ‘game?’

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  With a Core absorbed, I looked at my hands. Was I stronger? I punched out a few tests. Right. Claws. I opened my fist and swiped another through the air. I needed to remember. Back in the fight it felt natural, I hadn’t had to think about it, perhaps. Adrenaline driven. I squeezed my biceps and hamstrings where the scales thinned. Firm. But it’d been firm this whole time. Maybe more compact? I wasn’t sure if I was just imagining it. It was hard to gauge manually. Maybe the wristband could help?

  “Show my improvement. What is my Strength. My Agility?” Those terms felt right, somehow, as if they could be categorized with a single number. I tried different prompts, thinking them, speaking them, shouting them. But the display was the same old screen and text.

  Yeah, I need to take care of that as well. No matter how small, a wound’s a wound. Especially if the wristband felt like it was worth mentioning. I doubt the nick from the knife even counted as a wound though. It was barely a scratch. I turned to the thin line of blood right below my shoulder that had already dried. Huh, that’s fast? I rotate my arm. It ached a bit, but not enough to slow me down. I really wanted to clean it out. I hoped it wouldn’t get infected. Why can’t the screen give me more info? Like telling me whether I’m bleeding or not. It’d help to know if it had already scabbed over or not. I wasn’t even sure what that would look like on this scaled body. Where can I get it upgraded? Could a Core upgrade the Inspector? Even if it could, I didn’t know how. I rubbed the other Core, rolling on my palm idly, considering whether I should eat this one as well. Nah, I’ll keep it. There could be another use. I don’t feel like I need what little strength it provides right now. The book did say… the book! I’d dropped it somewhere.

  I jogged back to the Lobby entrance. There. A whoosh of relief flowed through me as I saw it on the ground by the door, discarded. As I was busy using both hands to slaughter those goblins, I must’ve dropped it instinctually. Hope I didn’t accidentally step on it. That’d be bad. I picked it up, dusting its cover against my thigh. No marks, no damage. Good. Both of my hands were now occupied, I wished the goblins had left a bag or two behind. I don’t want to haul everything I find around just to toss them aside when I’ve got to fight. Troublesome.

  There must be something left I could take. The air was cool and dry, heavy with the weight of iron. I observed the leftovers of my carnage; blood coated stone, bone splintered and scattered in the shadow of stalactites, shards too small to serve any purpose. Red even reflected off one of the walls. Reflected? Right. I glanced up and saw it. Stepping through the blood, dirt, and bone, I arrived at this Room's light source. A lamp hung from a metal wedge embedded in the wall, one of many. A thin wire looped between the two. I reached out to pull it down, grunting from the effort as it refused to budge. Stuck. The wire was undetachable, hooked through a hole in the wedge. I raised my nonexistent eyebrows. Could I break the wire, or rip it all from the stone? Setting my stuff aside, adjusting my grip, I pulled. And pulled. Twisted and pulled again. Until my muscles screamed at me for a break. No matter how I looked at it, the damned wire wasn’t even bent. Neither had the wedge loosened at all. What’s this thing made of? Titanium? No, titanium would at least bend. Maybe something magical was keeping it intact?

  It was a vain hope, but maybe it was just this one that couldn’t be pulled down. I stomped toward one of the others. The cave had eight total, four on each side. All identical, all stubborn. I couldn’t take any of them. Except for just the one: the third lamp on the right. Its wire had a small section of the loop cut out. I adjusted it until the gap lined up with the wedge, and pulled again. Finally, the lamp is free from its prison on the wall.

  That had to be everything. I tried breaking off a few stalactites with loose stones, throwing at the ones I can’t reach, and smacking on the low hangers. No luck. Things in this Room were frustratingly durable. I was tempted to hit the lamps with rocks, but my self-control got the better of it. I might use them later if and when I return to this Room. I even searched around for another hidden compartment, but one scratch was enough to dissuade me. I could lose all my claws before and I even made the smallest of holes. Gingerly, I clawed all three items together, gathering them in one hand. It’s time to leave. At least I thought it was. I struggled with my spoils, trying to balance them in both hands. For every two I got a secure grip on, I’d drop the third. If I don’t find a bag or sack within the next few Rooms, I’d start holding things with my mouth, for real. Hooking a claw through the wire, I balanced the Core and book in one hand. I had to keep the other free in case something happened. My focus split between maintaining my grip and studying the next door.

  According to the wristband, this would lead to a Puzzle Room. This door was stone. No handle, just a slab the same color as the flanking walls. I would’ve missed it if not for the seams. And the symbol. It sat in about the same position as the previous door. A question mark. Weird. If I didn’t know better, I’d think the next Room was randomized. Or maybe filled with riddles. But puzzles are much more than that. They weren’t so simple a single answer could solve them entirely. I couldn’t even relax; there was nothing that said it was safe. What would happen if I got it wrong? Were there even more monsters waiting as well as whatever puzzle awaited? And can I trust all the Inspector said? Despite its assurances, those are just words. Words it gave me. Odd words, even. ‘Supreme-Order and Administrators’. I’d never forget the feeling that ran through me when I first read it. Slowly extending my empty hand, I touched the stone surface. I pushed past the light resistance it opposed. Stone creaked as it swung open. And I stepped into the next Room.